Circle of Trust
by Rainyrose
Summary: Harry is having a truly horrible day. But it all gets worse when he discovers danger in the neighborhood in the form of death eaters. Too bad he's been locked out of his house...Will Harry get to safety, or will Voldemort win? AU third yr.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that appear in this story. I am just playing with the plot. Please don't sue me, because I don't have any money. This story is simply for the enjoyment of other ambitious readers and writers like myself.

Chapter 1

The small bedroom was hot; too hot. The tiny window was stuck half- open, so the gentle breeze which shook the leaves on the tree right outside couldn't get in. The desk beside the window was littered with half empty bottles of ink, quills, and a few stray rolls of parchment. However, the remainder of the room seemed unnaturally empty for an inhabited bedroom. The walls were plastered a stark white, giving the room a hollow, lonely feel. The bed was old and creaky, and was made up with moth-eaten blankets. The only noises in the bedroom came from the whispering breeze outside, and a soft scratching on the corner of the desk.

The only living creature inside the room blinked her eyes blearily form the confines of her metal cage, waiting impatiently for her master to return. She glanced at her empty water bowl in yearning. Her master hadn't been back to the room to feed her since he left at dawn, and she had grown quite hungry. She shook her white feathers and gave a small hoot of alarm when she heard a loud _CRASH _coming from downstairs.

"_BOY!"_ a loud voice boomed, echoing up through the floor. The white owl closed her eyes in exasperation.

Downstairs in the kitchen, a skinny bespeckled boy with extremely messy black hair scurried around in a panic, trying to scoop up the broken fragments of his aunt's vase before his uncle could see what had happened. The usually spotless kitchen was now littered with shiny, glittering pieces of porcelain. He reached for a particularly large and jagged piece, careful not to slice his finger on it. Just as he was standing up, the enormous bulk of his uncle appeared in the doorway.

"What on _earth_ is going on in here?" Vernon seethed. When he noticed the sharp fragments scattered across the linoleum floor, his face began to turn a nasty shade of purple.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly.

"_Nothing?_" Vernon was glaring at the piece in Harry's hand.

"It was an accident. I- I tripped." This was only partially true; Harry was not clumsy at all. Uncle Vernon seemed to realize that this was a lie, and gave the boy a punishment for it. _No one_ tells Vernon lies in this own house.

"After you clean up this mess, you are to weed the flowerbeds, mow the lawn, and mop the kitchen. If I hear _any_ sound from you, boy, you will wish you had never been born." He slapped Harry across the face once, causing a resounding _crack_, and stomped from the kitchen. The more labor the dreaded_ boy_ did, the less _he_ had to do later.

Harry slowly brought his hand up to his cheek to feel if it was swollen. The skin was stinging badly, but not nearly as badly as the lightening bolt scar on his forehead. It was this scar which had been the reason Harry had stumbled into the vase in the first place. As he pressed his hand against it, he could feel an even larger panic spreading throughout his whole body, making his limbs numb. The only times that his scar hurt had been when Lord Voldemort was near Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the school Harry attended. But he couldn't possibly be near Privet Drive, could he?

Harry was about to enter his third year at Hogwarts. He had been in the face of danger several times throughout the past two school years, but Harry wasn't sure if he could hold off Voldemort yet again. In their past two encounters, Harry had escaped Voldemort's clutches purely on luck, or so he thought.

His instincts were telling him to alert Dumbledore, his headmaster, about his scar. But would Dumbledore believe him? Harry had already sent about a hundred letters off to his headmaster, begging to let him stay with the Weasleys for the remainder of the summer. After replying to the first twenty letters with the answer 'No', he had ignored all the rest that had been sent. Harry wasn't even sure if Dumbledore was reading them anymore.

Instead, Harry finished cleaning up the now worthless vase, and then quietly bounded up the stairs to grab his wand. If there was any danger around, he at least wanted to be ready. As he entered the room, Hedwig gave a soft hoot of hunger. He grimaced.

"I know, girl," he murmured, hovering in the doorway. Hedwig's large eyes rested on his helpless face. She hooted again.

Harry shook his head, and walked to his bedside table and grabbed his wand. He hated not being able to care for Hedwig properly. The last two times he had been caught, Vernon's wrath had been frightening.

"He's watching me too closely right now," Harry whispered to his owl. "Hang in there until I'm done. I promise I'll be quick." Harry turned and stealthily crept back down the stairs. Then he went into the garage, grabbed the weeding tools, and got to work on the flowerbeds.

The late afternoon sun beat down on his exposed neck as he labored. His sore arms dripped with sweat, and he wearily whipped his brow on his sleeve. The dirt in the flowerbeds was almost rock hard; it had been baking in the sun for days now, so the surface was caked and crumbling. His fingertips were sore from the dirt under his fingernails, and the skin raw from scratching against the hard surface.

Harry yawned. His eyes itched from fatigue. But no matter how tired he was, he couldn't seem to get rid of the feeling that he was being watched. Every time he sat up and looked around, however, his eyes were greeted by a deserted street and a few scattered rain clouds in the sky. He forced his mind back onto the task at hand.

On and on he worked. _At least there's a bit of a breeze_, he thought wearily. He wiped his brow with his dirty sleeve, and snorted. _Great. I probably have a nice dirt stain across my forehead now. Let's hope I don't meet any strangers and embarrass myself. On second thought, maybe it'll hide my scar…._

A bee was buzzing around one of the rose bushes. The sound was hypnotic.

_There aren't even that many weeds in here,_ Harry thought grumpily._ Why couldn't Dumbledore just let me g-_

"Hey, you there!" Harry whipped his head around in search of the voice's owner. His wand was out of his pocket before he could even stand up.

The man leaning on the front gate looked youthful, with light brown hair and cheery eyes. But when Harry got a closer look, he noticed that the man's hair was flecked with grey, and his face was lined with premature wrinkles.

"Er- can I help you with something?" Harry stuffed his wand back into his pocket as he approached the man.

"Yes, er, I'm a friend of one of your neighbors. Actually, er, she was wondering if- whether or not you would be willing to do some chores around the house for her. She lives down at number six."

Harry knew perfectly well who lived at number six. It was Mrs. Figg, the batty old lady who was obsessed with cats. Harry almost snorted again, but caught himself quickly. He was being asked to do even _more_ work? Couldn't this man see that he already had enough on his plate?

"Sorry, but I've got loads to do around here. I don't think I can spare any more time." Was it just him, or did this man look slightly disappointed? He regarded Harry with interest.

"Alright. I'll just deliver on the message, then." There was a brief, awkward silence, and the man still didn't leave. _What's he waiting for? I can't stand around all day. Uncle Vernon will kill me._

"Why are you working outside on such a hot day like today?"

"Erm…," Harry didn't know what to say. 'I broke my aunt's favorite vase because the stupid scar on my forehead started burning really badly, which means that Lord Voldemort might currently be on this street, and I got punished for it' didn't seem like the right thing to say, for some reason.

"What happened to your face?" The man was peering closely at the ominous bruise on Harry's cheek, which had swelled up to the size of a golf ball.

"Nothing," Harry answered quickly. When the man raised an eyebrow, Harry quickly made up a story. "I tripped over a chair in the kitchen, and hit my face on the stove." The man simply stared at the bruise some more.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, er, Mr-?"

"Remus Lupin," the young man stated, holding out his hand. Harry stared at it for a second before shaking it. It was also lined with wrinkles. He noticed Lupin glance at the scar on his forehead (apparently it hadn't been hidden beneath the dirt streak), and quickly withdrew from the handshake.

"Well, I'd better get back to work now. It's almost dark, and I'm not even halfway finished." Harry turned and walked back to the flowerbeds. When he glanced over his shoulder, Lupin was gone.

??

Remus Lupin was worried. _Very_ worried. Harry was not the happy kid that he had expected him to be. In fact, he was nowhere _near_ what he had imagined him to be.

The instant he had laid eyes on the boy, he had known who he was. There weren't too many people in the world that had hair like James Potter. Harry's mop of black hair stuck up in the back just like James' had. But his reaction to meeting Remus had been nothing even remotely close to what Remus had been expecting.

The boy was being neglected. That much was clear. Even if he wasn't severely abused yet, Harry was still in danger. Remus wouldn't put it past the Dursleys to kick Harry out of the house, and once he was on the streets, the game would be over.

No less than a week ago, a man named Sirius Black had escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban. Nobody knew how he achieved it, but Black was known to be both sneaky and dangerous. There were rumors circulating all over the country that Sirius Black had helped Lord Voldemort return to his body. Whether that was true or not, Remus didn't particularly want to find out.

He had to come up with a plan. He had to protect Harry. There was _no way_ that he was losing the last Potter to Voldemort and Black. They had both lost enough already.

??

The rain started around six o' clock that night. It wasn't the light kind of rain that makes a soothing sound on your roof at night. It was a hard pounding, like a thousand little fists, threatening to break into your bedroom and wash you from your bed.

Harry had dismissed the idea of sending Hedwig out to Dumbledore. He didn't want her to get lost in the freak storm raging around the house, and she hadn't had anything to eat until a few minutes ago. His poor owl hooted at him in restlessness from being cooped up for so long. As he grabbed her empty water bowl from inside her cage, she gently nipped his finger.

"I know, I'm sorry," Harry told her quietly. "You can't go out tonight. I don't want you to get lost." Her large amber eyes blinked up at him for a moment, before she tucked her head beneath her wing and went to sleep.

Harry opened the door of his bedroom and tiptoed down the hall to the bathroom to fill up Hedwig's water bowl. He let the water run for a few moments before placing it under the faucet. As he glanced around at the photos of Dudley in distaste, his thoughts strayed to the man he had met earlier. Lupin…. He had a strange feeling he had met the man before….

"BOY!" A dangerous shout came up the stairs. _Oh no. What did I do now?_

Harry quickly turned off the sink and leapt across the hall to his bedroom, spilling water on the carpet on the way. He deposited the water bowl on his desk just as his uncle got to the top of the stairs.

"_What did I tell you to do earlier_?" He hissed in a dangerous voice, his enormous bulk blocking the entire doorway to Harry's room. A vein was throbbing in his neck, and his moustache quivered.

Harry was bewildered. "You, er. You told me to-"

"MOW THE LAWN!" His uncle screeched. He grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt and bodily dragged him down the stairs. Harry was slammed face first into the kitchen window.

"Look out the window. What do you see?"

"Er." What _did_ he see? What were those gleaming eyes doing on the opposite side of Privet Drive? Harry peered closer. "I see a dog."

"_A dog?_ NO, you idiot! You see the unmown grass! WHY DIDN'T YOU FINISH YOUR CHORES?" Vernon shook Harry's collar.

"It was raining! I didn't want to break the lawn mower!" Vernon slapped Harry's cheek again, and tugged the flowered window curtains shut.

"Well guess what, you little freak! I'm not paying for your food and shelter if you don't work it off! I want you out of this house, NOW!" And with that, Vernon threw open the front door, and shoved Harry out off the porch steps. Then the door was slammed shut, and Harry was left in the hard, cold downpour.

"Damn."

What was he going to do now? All of his belongings and Hedwig were stuck in his room upstairs. Harry tried to remember whether or not he had closed his bedroom window. He could always climb the tree outside his window and grab his stuff-

As he had been thinking, Harry had walked over to the tree and looked up at the dark, wet house. The bloody window wasn't open. _Great._ Now he was stuck in the pouring rain, he was sopping wet, and locked out of the house that held his most precious belongings. He had an alarmingly swollen cheek and a split lip, his scar was burning, and-

Wait. His scar was….

Bloody hell.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. He could feel someone watching him again.

He ducked into the shadows of the bushes, and peered around. He couldn't see anyone, not even the large dog that had been across the street earlier. Harry hoped it had gotten out of the rain, and he also hoped it wasn't hungry.

He decided to run to Mrs. Figg's house. It was the only place he could go. He didn't have his wand, which was sitting innocently next to Hedwig's cage upstairs. _Stupid git_, he reprimanded himself. If he got to Mrs. Figg's, maybe he could use her telephone to call the Granger's house. Hermione's parents were muggles, so they would be listed in the phone book, right?

With that thought clearly in his mind, Harry sprinted out from the shadows and down the Dursley's walkway towards the street. To his immense relief, no curses were shouted at him. In fact, nothing happened at all.

Breathing rather loudly and feeling rather stupid, Harry power- walked down the street towards Mrs. Figg's garden fence. He hoped that she would serve him some hot tea when he arrived, because his nose was beginning to run and he felt himself catching a cold.

He was one house away when he heard a noise. A soft whimpering noise, like a wounded animal. Harry strained his eyes to see through the sheets of rain. His glasses were streaked with smeared water drops. They finally fell on the form of a large black dog. It was standing in the bushes behind him, ten feet away, whimpering and whining. Its tail wagged when Harry looked at it, welcoming him.

Harry knew that he should get inside, but there was something about the dog that made him hesitate. To most people, the mere look of the animal would have sent them running. It was half the size of a bear, black and ominous, with enormous paws and gleaming yellow teeth. But Harry was curious, so he held out his hand to pet it on top of its head. Its fur was matted, but extremely soft.

Harry knelt down, and the friendly dog lifted its nose to lick Harry's swollen cheek. It whined again.

"Harry, NO!"

Harry must have jumped three feet in the air at the shout. The black dog was clearly startled too, and forgot to disappear back into the bushes. Harry spun around, and was met by the strange sight of Remus Lupin sprinting at him with a wand banished in front of him. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but-

"RUN,HARRY! It's Sirius Black! RUN!"

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He turned and ran, as fast as he could, down Privet Drive in the other direction. He had no idea who or what Sirius Black was, but he didn't want to wait around and find out.

The loud pounding on the pavement behind him told Harry that the dog was steadily gaining on him. Suddenly, he was terrified of the beast. He zigzagged through an alleyway, and took shortcuts down random streets that he had learned from being chased by Dudley's gang in his childhood. The rain lashed at his skin and his glasses, causing them to fog up slightly. He rounded a turn, and came to a skidding stop.

Twenty feet away stood a tall, pale figure dressed in a floor length black cloak. A long streak of platinum blonde hair spilled out from underneath the hood. From the intense burning of his scar, Harry didn't need to be told this person was a dark wizard.

His mind didn't register that he was gasping and shaking from the cold, because it was focused on the tall figure walked steadily toward him, with a wand drawn and pointed directly at Harry's forehead. Harry seemed to have frozen. All he could do was stand there as the man stopped a foot away. His grey eyes bore into Harry's green ones.

The slapping of footsteps on wet pavement sounded behind him, but Harry couldn't turn. There was a shout of surprise from behind as, quick as a flash, Lucius Malfoy grabbed Harry's shirt and pulled him closer, pressing the wand underneath his chin. Harry choked out his shock.

"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you, Lupin," the cold voice smirked. The sound of it sent shivers down Harry's back. He gulped as Malfoy's cold hand closed on his arm. "Leave now, and Potter will remain unhurt."

Harry whimpered from the pain in his scar. What did this mean? Malfoy was obviously a follower of Voldemort. Could the dark lord have possibly returned to his body? Was Malfoy intending to take him to… wherever Voldemort was? He pulled his eyes away from Lucius to look at Lupin, who had a horrified look on his face. He began to slowly back away, but didn't lower his wand.

"That's right," Malfoy said mockingly. He readjusted his grip on Harry's arm, and pointed his wand at Harry's leg. "Move a little faster."

When Lupin didn't comply, Malfoy smirked again and muttered, "_Diffindo!"_

A great slash appeared in Harry's left leg. He let out a great yelp of pain as blood splashed into the street and mingled with the rain.

Suddenly, a number of things happened in a very quick succession. Lupin shouted a stunning spell at Malfoy, which flew over his shoulder and missed. A loud bark sounded from the bushes directly behind Malfoy, and a blurry black shape came hurtling out, launching itself at Lucius. The black dog fastened its jaws firmly around the arm holding onto Harry, and shook. Harry forced the wand away from his body just in time; the green light which came spilling from its contents headed straight for Lupin.

"LOOK OUT!" Harry shouted at Lupin, who spun in time to avoid the deadly curse. He then fled down the street for help.

Harry felt the enormous dog bowl into his bleeding leg, and yelled in pain again. The dog still had a firm grip on Malfoy's arm, and was dragging him around in circles. The sight would have been funny if the situation weren't so grave.

When Malfoy's wand arm came around towards Harry again, Harry grabbed onto the wand and pried it from his fingers before Malfoy could shout a curse, and threw it as hard as he could. Malfoy roared in fury as the dog pushed him away from Harry.

Suddenly the dog was gone, and a series of popping noises overtook the street. Harry looked around him, bewildered, but someone had taken hold of his arm yet again and was pulling him down the street. When Harry saw who it was, he let out a shout.

"Just keep running!" The man barked at him. But Harry couldn't. He could barely put any weight on his injured leg, and ended up limping through the rain, slowing them down. Behind him, he heard Malfoy summoning his lost wand, and barking orders to his other comrades.

The strange man scooped Harry up in his arms, ignoring Harry's protests, and ran into the trees on the side of the road. They dodged around jets of green light, passed multiple houses, and trampled through many unfamiliar backyards until they got to a field with lots of long grass and prickly bushes scattered around in clumps. There, the man unceremoniously dumped Harry on the ground.

"Hide!" he whispered urgently through the rain. The man crouched down, and together they both crawled through the mud and into the bushes. The branches scratched Harry's face and imbedded themselves in his hair, but he ignored them. When they got to the middle, they both lay as still as they could.

"We'll wait here until we're sure they're gone," the strange man breathed. He had long, matted black hair that fell past his shoulders, and deep, haunted looking blue eyes. "Try not to make any sounds."

"Who's 'they'?" Harry asked, staring at the man. He felt a prickle of fear travel up his spine and the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

"Death Eaters," he breathed, so softly that Harry barely caught what he said.

"What are Death-" but he didn't finish, for the loud _CRACK_ of apparation sounded through the downpour, and a black mass suddenly appeared in the field. Heavy black robes flowed around the figure. It began walking towards their hiding place with a steady stride. Harry could have sworn it looked directly at him. The figure fingered its wand.

"Wait here and don't make any noise. I'll be right back," the man whispered again. He turned back into a dog, and crept out from under the brush. Harry held his breath.

The man dressed in black, the _Death Eater_, had walked out of his line of vision. Harry was overcome by a sudden helpless, panicked feeling. Where had the man gone? Why wasn't the dog coming back? Harry shivered again.

"CRUCIO!" a voice screamed from behind the bush. Harry's heart leaped into his throat, but before he could yell, his body was overtaken by pain.

It was a very quick curse, but to Harry it could have lasted for centuries. Thousands of white hot knives were digging into his bare flesh, ripping his limbs apart one by one…. His body must certainly be burning to ashes, as he unconsciously writhed on the sopping grass…. He realized from a great distance that he was screaming….

It stopped abruptly. Harry lay weak and panting on the ground, with the branches of the bush digging painfully into his back. Strange snarling noises were coming from behind him, and it sounded as though two animals were rolling around in the grass, fighting. It all seemed somehow distant.

Harry concentrated on a dripping leaf hanging in front of his nose. His eyes couldn't seem to focus. After a few minutes, the snarling stopped.

"Harry?" a concerned voice broke through the ringing in his ears. "Are you alright?"

Harry couldn't answer. He gave a soft groan.

"Harry!" the voice was becoming more panicked now. It was causing Harry to panic again, too. He tried to twist his body so that he was laying on his back, but soon discovered it to be a _very_ bad idea.

"_Stupid- bushes-"_ the leaves were being pushed back, and the man with black hair came into Harry's line of sight. "I'm going to help you sit up, okay?" Harry just moaned in response.

The man placed his hands under Harry's shoulders, and gently lifted them above the ground. Harry let out a hiss of pain. Which curse had that been, anyway?

"Stay with me, Harry." _Stay with you? I'm not going anywhere... _

His body was slowly pulled into a sitting position. His head was beginning to clear, and he tried to focus on the strange man's face. "W- who His body was racked with coughs.

"Easy, there. Take deep breaths. That's it." The man's voice was soothing, comforting. Harry began to close his eyes.

"No, Harry! You can't sleep. Stay with me!" His voice was urgent. "I really hate to do this to you, but we've got to move. I have to get you someplace safe."

Safe? Wait- were there more of those men?

"Where…." Harry croaked, and licked his lips. They were covered in blood from where he'd bitten through the already split part. He watched as the dog- man appeared to be lost in desperate thoughts. Who was he, anyways? He had just saved Harry's life, and he also seemed to know Harry pretty well. Harry cast his mind around, but he couldn't seem to come up with any memories of meeting him before.

"I know where we'll go, but we'll have to apparate." Harry quickly looked up, startled (which was another painful mistake). _Apparate?_

"B- but- I don't know h-"

"I'll side- along apparate you. Do you think you can stand?" The man leaned over Harry's body, checking for further injuries. There was too much mud.

Harry nodded and, trying to ignore the agony in his leg and the tremors that racked his body, reached out a hand for help. The man grabbed it and gently pulled him to his feet. Harry swayed dangerously, feeling nauseous, but the man quickly placed an arm around his waist. "You're gonna want to hold on tight. Ready?" Harry nodded weakly. Larger raindrops splattered over his glasses and he tightened his grip on the man's wrist.

Suddenly, the man spun and jerked away from Harry, almost causing him to release his grip. They were plunged into thick, compressing darkness, and were being squeezed on all sides. Harry's eyes and nose were being pressed into his skull, and he couldn't breath- he was going to suffocate-

They landed hard, on the top of some concrete steps, and Harry's leg gave way. The man pulled him back up, and half carried him up the steps to the door at the top. He quickly scanned the street before turning the knob and bringing them into a dark, musty room.

It was eerily silent and smelled… old. Harry could somehow tell that it hadn't been lived in for quite a while.

"This way," the man whispered, and helped him limp down a hallway to the right. The man's quiet voice made Harry nervous.

Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and from the chandelier. The walls were decorated with wallpaper snakes. There was a flight of stairs going down under the floor, into what looked like a basement. As the man turned onto those stairs, Harry didn't follow. He clutched at the wall to stay upright as the man turned and looked at him in confusion.

"I'm- I'm not-" Harry croaked, his trembling fingers causing the cobwebs to vibrate. The man raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Where are we?" Harry demanded. He somehow managed to put some force behind his words. He wasn't sure if he could completely trust this man yet. And Harry didn't have his wand with him. He shivered again.

"This is my house," the man sighed. "I promise I won't hurt you. I would never do that."

Harry stared at him, and the man stared back. Finally he spread his hands wide.

"Look. I don't even have a wand. We're just going into the kitchen so I can clean you up." Harry gazed at the man again, and slowly nodded. The man wrapped an arm around him again and they continued downstairs.

The kitchen was also extremely dirty, but had a friendlier feel to it than the rest of the house. The man pulled out a dusty chair and placed Harry in it. He then walked around the room lighting candles.

"W- who are you?" The man paused at the unexpected question. He hesitated again before he spoke, turning slowly to face Harry.

"My name's Sirius." Harry shrunk further into the chair from the intense look on Sirius's face. "I thought you already knew who I was." Harry was baffled. How should he know who this man was? He shook his head.

"You're an animagus." It wasn't a question. Sirius nodded.

"Why was Lupin so afraid of you?" Sirius turned to the cabinets and pulled out a rag.

"I knew him when I was younger. I think he thought that I would hurt you. Which I won't," he added at Harry's suspicious look. He turned on the faucet and let the water run over the rag. He grimaced after turning off the water. "I think this is the cleanest it'll get." Sirius walked over to Harry. "Where does it hurt?"

Harry paused for a moment to think. _It hurts everywhere!_ "Erm…. I think my leg hurts the most."

Sirius bent down and pulled up Harry's left pant leg. He sucked in his breath at the sight of the mutilated skin. Blood was still dripping from the large gash, which was now covered in mud. A number of smaller scratches from the bush littered the pale skin, which also leaked trails of crimson. "You sure know how to get yourself beat up," Sirius muttered.

Harry pulled back as if stung. His breathing was becoming more forced.

"Harry?" Sirius looked shocked again. "Are you okay? What did I do?"

Harry's gaze settled on the smooth surface of the wooden table as he caught his breath. He shook his head. "Nothing."

"That wasn't nothing."

"Yes it was. I'm fine."

"No you're not! You're torn to pieces!" Sirius gently grabbed Harry's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Please tell me the truth. What happened to you?"

Harry stared at him. "You saw what happened. Some Death Eater cursed me, Malfoy almost ripped my leg off, and-"

"I meant before that."

Harry froze. How could he possibly guess? Did he already know?

"Why is your cheek swollen like that?"

"I- well- I tripped and hit my face on-"

"Is that the truth, Harry?" Sirius's grip on his shoulders was now painful. _He knows._

"Why are you asking me this? I don't even know you!" It was Sirius's turn to pull back. He took a moment to recollect himself and his eyes narrowed. _"What did he do to you?"_

"HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Harry was out of his seat before he even registered that he was yelling. His chair had fallen over, and he was balancing on his good leg. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but Harry beat him to it.

"I don't know why you care so much, and as creepy as it is, I appreciate it. But I would also appreciate it if you could take me back to Privet Drive. Please," he added, as an afterthought. His leg began to shake violently, so he grabbed onto the table for balance. Sirius's eyes softened.

"Let's clean you up and get you to bed. I believe it's quite late." He bent down and stood the chair back up. Harry settled back onto it gratefully.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch

Ch. 3

Remus stared down at the unconscious body of Rookwood with great distaste and extreme worry. He had seen the bite marks on the man's arm, and the blood running in streams to the ground. It was obvious who had done that. Remus turned his head towards the clump of bushes next to Rookwood's body, where a number of fresh footprints and paw prints could be seen. As the rain slowed, Remus scurried around in search of the one sign of proof- yes, there it was.

It was one of the large footprints, which appeared to have been twisted into the mud almost as if the man had been twirling. And there, right beside it, was a smaller pair.

"_Harry,_" Remus whispered. "_Where are you?"_

Distant shouts from the aurors reached Remus' ears and he turned away from the awful evidence.

??

Harry sucked in his breath and squeezed his watering eyes shut. _Damn, this stings!_

"Hang in there, kiddo," Sirius said through gritted teeth, as he gently wiped the blood from Harry's left leg. The grotesque look of a flap of skin dangling off Harry's calf made Sirius want to puke. "_Bloody hell_! How deep is this?!"

"If you can please refrain from the enlightening comments-" Harry ground out.

"Sorry."

The rag was completely red by now, and they hadn't even started on the other cuts. _At least it's stopped bleeding_, Harry thought. So far, he hadn't been brave enough to take a peek. By the sound of it, he'd probably pass out if he did.

"There!" Sirius exclaimed. He held up the blood- soaked rag. "I'll just rinse this off and we'll start on the others."

"Wonderful," Harry muttered. He leaned his head on the table as Sirius paced to the sink. Although Harry barely knew the man, his instincts told him that Sirius could be trusted. It was almost as if he had known Sirius a long time ago, in another world…. Each of Sirius's footsteps made a hollow thump on the floor that echoed through the wooden table and caused a sharp jolt in Harry's temple. Unconsciously he reached up his hand to rub his scar.

The water spurted out from the sink, and made a gurgling noise as it went down the drain. When it stopped running, and the water made slapping noises on the metal as Sirius wrung out the rag.

"You still with me, Harry?" he called. Harry nodded, keeping his eyes closed. He heard Sirius walk up to him, and felt a hand on his chin. He opened stinging eyes to see Sirius peering at his split lip.

"Ouch," he said. "How'd that happen?"

Harry blinked wearily. "Bit through it." At least it was partially true.

Sirius wiped at it gingerly so as not to reopen the cut. He then scanned the rest of Harry's face and arms, which were uninjured except for a few scratches and the swollen lump on Harry's cheek. "Anything else I've missed?" he asked quietly.

"Erm…." _Yes. There's lots you've missed that you're not going to clean._

"Is that a yes or a no?" _Damn, this man can read me like a book, can't he?_

"No," Harry managed. He faked a yawn.

"Alright, let's get you to bed. C'mere." Sirius stood up again and held out his hand. Harry gratefully accepted it, and he was pulled into a standing position. He tried to hide his grimace of pain from the bruises all over his chest. Sirius must not have seen it, because he didn't say anything as he helped Harry walk back to the stairs. When they reached the bottom, they both stared at the steps as if they were a part of Mount Everest.

"Er… maybe I should carry you again," Sirius suggested. Harry was too tired to protest this time, so he allowed himself to be picked up.

"_Bloody…_How much do you normally eat?" Sirius muttered. Harry could feel his face turning red.

"My entire family was on a strict diet this summer," he explained as they traveled up to the first floor. "It was mainly for my cousin, but my aunt thought he would feel better about it if the whole family ate the same things he had to eat."

Sirius snorted. "I think I've seen that cousin of yours. About the size of a whale, but looks kind of like a pig?"

"Yeah, that's Dudley," Harry muttered. The mention of Dudley's bulk vividly reminded Harry of his cousin's strong (and painful) punches.

They were silent for the remainder of the trip. Harry counted four flights of stairs as Sirius continued upward. Eerie portraits of wizards with dark hair and eyes that followed their progress lined the walls. They never spoke a single word to them as they passed. Sirius must have been out of shape, because he was wheezing slightly when he next put Harry down. They were in a long, dark hallway with three doors.

"The one furthest down is the bathroom," Sirius said, pointing at the door, "and that one across the hall is mine. This is yours," he added, tapping the wooden door frame with his finger. He grabbed the snake door handle and swung it open. The door creaked on its hinges and a belch of dust swirled into their faces. Sirius cursed under his breath. He walked into the room to turn on a lamp. "It's got muggle electrical power. Cool, huh?" Harry simply nodded. He'd grown up in the muggle world, so he didn't find the non- magic forms of power quite as interesting as normal wizards did. He grasped onto the door frame and watched as Sirius dusted off the empty mattress and pulled some thin blankets out of the closet.

"This'll have to do…." He said reluctantly. "If only I had my wand…." He began making the bed.

"How come you don't have it with you?" Harry asked curiously. Sirius jerked his head sharply and hit it on the bed frame with a loud _thunk_. "I- er- well, you see-"

CRASH!

Both of them froze. The noise had come from downstairs.

"What was that?" Harry tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice. Sirius shook his head, and slid around Harry to peek down the hallway. There was nothing there. "Get in the room, Harry. Turn the light off." He spoke in a whisper.

Harry limped over to the lamp and flicked the switch. They were consumed into total darkness.

They both stood completely still and silent for several seconds. The hard pounding in Harry's ears couldn't completely cover the unmistakable sound of someone walking up the stairs.

"Bloody hell, _what now_?" Sirius hissed. "Harry, get in the closet." Harry quickly complied, trying to block out the pain in his leg and scar as he quietly scrambled over the bed. To his surprise, Sirius followed him. "Go all the way to the back," he breathed. "There's a crease in the wall. Stick your fingers into the crease, and pull it open." Harry ran his trembling fingers over the back wall. "Hurry, Harry!" Sirius hissed. The footsteps were getting closer.

Harry's fumbling fingers found the crease, and he tugged the hidden door open. It was just large enough for a grown man to crawl through. "Get in!" Sirius whispered. Harry obliged, with spider webs clinging to his hair and his hands dragging through inches of dust. He willed himself not to sneeze. Sirius followed, and squeezed the door shut. They both froze again.

"Go check down there-" came an unfamiliar cold voice, sounding muffled through the walls. The response that came from a second individual was unintelligible, but the footsteps continued to come closer to their hiding place.

"_Death Eaters?"_ Harry mouthed at Sirius, who was barely visible through the dark. Sirius nodded. He crawled past Harry into a darker corner, and beckoned for him to follow. Then Sirius disappeared.

Harry's eyes widened in shock, and he hastened to follow. _Oh._ It was just a tunnel. There was Sirius towards the end, looking back at him. He beckoned again. Harry crawled faster to catch up.

"You okay?" Sirius whispered. Harry nodded in response. "This tunnel goes all the way to the outside of the house. We have to get out of here. There's no knowing what Death Eaters will do." He turned again, and continued crawling down into the dark. Harry peeked back over his shoulder before following, wondering how the Death Eaters got into the house in the first place. Dark magic, perhaps?

The small tunnel opened up into a stairwell large enough for them to stand up in. Sirius helped Harry out, and half carried him down the steps. "These stairs are magically hidden," he said. "There's no way the Death Eaters will find them." Despite his confident tone, Harry was still worried. He'd had enough experience with dark wizards to know that things didn't always go as planned when in the face of danger.

At the very end of the tunnel they reached a rope ladder descending from the ceiling. Harry craned his neck and saw a square trap door twelve feet above his head. He looked back at Sirius, and they stared at each other for a while. "I can make it," Harry said, his mind already made up.

"Harry, I don't think-"

"Just let me try." Sirius appeared to be struggling with himself for a moment. "Alright, as long as you let me look outside to see if anyone's around."

Sirius ascended the ladder first. It was a long climb; much longer than Harry had anticipated. When he reached the top, Sirius tried to push open the trap door. At first it was jammed, and there was one heart stopping moment where Harry thought that they'd be stuck in here forever. But then it was forced open and several cold raindrops pattered softly onto the earthy ground of the tunnel. "Damn, it's still raining," Sirius said unnecessarily. He ducked his head back inside. "Do you want me to come back down and help you up? Harry?" Sirius spotted Harry collapsed against the wall, holding his scar. His eyes were screwed up in pain.

"Harry!" Sirius was down the ladder and at Harry's side in a flash. "What's wrong?"

"Scar…" Harry mumbled through his teeth. "Hurts." His eyes were clamped shut, and his fingernails were cutting deep enough into his palms to draw blood. He peeked one eye open at Sirius. It was glazed with tears. "We have to… get out of here… now!"

Sirius had no idea why Harry's scar was hurting or why they had to leave so urgently (besides the fact that there were Death Eaters in his house), but he was taking absolutely _no_ chances. Quick as lightening, he had Harry in his arms and was attacking the ladder with his free hand.

"Harry, I'll need you to help me out here, otherwise we'll never get out. C'mon, Harry. Block out the pain!" Harry slowly opened his eyes and tightened his hand on the rope. "That's it! Now pull yourself up. Don't let go!" Together, they slowly climbed the ladder, step by step, until they reached the very top.

Sirius opened the trap door again, and deposited Harry on the sopping grass outside. He glanced around them again, but saw no death eaters lurking in the shadows. When he made to grab Harry again, Harry resisted.

"I can walk," he said, irritably through his pain. Sirius was taken aback slightly. "Alright," he replied, "C'mon, then. Didn't you say that we had to leave 'now'?" He turned and began walking into the shadows of the trees beside the house. He heard Harry's footfalls over the loud pattering of rain on the leaves, but when they were completely consumed by the branches, the footsteps stopped. Sirius turned again, and was surprised to see Harry standing with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree trunk for support.

"Go on without me." he demanded. The pain in his voice was now disguised. His messy black hair was plastered to his head, and he had somehow gotten more dirt smeared across his face.

"What?" Sirius asked, deeply confused.

"Why do you care what happens to me?" When Sirius regarded him blankly, Harry continued. "I have no idea who you are. I don't think I've met you before tonight. So why are you so intent on saving my skin?"

"Because I- er…"

"See? You don't even know the reason yourself! How do I know I can trust you?!"

"You just _told_ me the reason you can trust me! I've saved your life multiple times tonight! Isn't that enough proof?" Sirius said, dumbfounded. Something wasn't right here….

"And how do I know that you're not just setting me up, getting ready to hand me over to Voldemort?!" Harry bellowed back. "I've had enough experience with that monster to know not to trust anyone blindly!"

There was a slight pause. "How much experience have you had?" Sirius ventured. Fear clutched at his chest. But before Harry could respond, a horrible voice spoke out from over his shoulder.

"Enough to understand that both of you are in a very, _very_ bad position right now, Black."

Sirius turned slowly, and was unsurprised to find a wand pointed directly between his eyes. The hand holding the wand belonged to Lucius Malfoy. _Oh no,_ Sirius thought. _Harry didn't think I was leading him into the death eater's waiting arms, did he?_

_Harry!_

Sirius spun around just in time to see another death eater shove Harry to the ground. He was trembling from the pain in his leg and scar. A wand was trained on him as well.

"Now, you have two choices," Lucius sneered. "Either you can come quietly and remain unhurt, or… fight us and see your godson suffer." Harry's head snapped up at the word 'godson'. His eyes bore into Sirius' deep blue ones before he answered for Sirius. "I'll come, but leave him behind. It's me you want."

The air was rent with the death eaters' sniggers. "Oh no, I think the Dark Lord will find just as much interest in Black as he will you, Potter," said Malfoy. "Let's go." He poked Sirius in the back of the head with his wand.

"_Stupify!"_ One of the other death eaters stunned Harry before he could make a move to run away. His body lay limp on the moist ground, as if lifeless. Sirius tried to hide his panic.

"Remember your choices, Black," hissed Lucius. "You don't want him to become… _further_ injured, do you?" His eyes lingered over the deep slash in Harry's leg. Sirius quickly shook his head.

"Good." A portkey was shoved into Sirius's hand, and the world was dissolved into a blur of color.

**A/N: **hey everyone! thanks sooo much for the support I've gotten so far! It makes me feel special. :)

I've been trying to update as quickly as possible, as I've written up to chapter five. but that also means that things will probably slow down in a little while. sorry bout that, but it can't be helped. ch. 4 will be up soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

**A/N: **Alright. Here's chapter 4! Just as a little warning, this chapter isn't all that pleasant. It contains some blood, so if that bothers you, you may want to skip that part….

It was cold. And silent. And dark. The air had a stale stench to it that reminded him of old pipes, and there was a faint drip of water that echoed every few seconds.

This was all Harry could gather from his surroundings right now. His eyes were closed, and he couldn't seem to gather enough energy to open them. A moment ago, he had been floating in blissful unawareness, oblivious to his situation and to his potential pain. But something was telling Harry that it was time to open his eyes again. Something was wrong. _Very_ wrong. He twitched his fingers to make sure he wasn't petrified. To his great relief, they obeyed his command. With newfound courage, Harry moved his arms. _Nooooo, big mistake!_ Pain raced throughout his body. Why did he hurt like this? What had happened? And… where the _hell_ was he?

_Open them!_ A little voice in his head commanded firmly. _Open your eyes, dammit!_

It was a much harder task than it should have been. It was almost as if his eyelids were glued together. _What? Why?!_ That was just an absurd thought. But he wouldn't put the death eaters past doing such a thing….

DEATH EATERS!

The thought caused Harry's eyes to finally snap open. They darted around the small room, into every dark shadow, but he couldn't see anyone else. No, he was most certainly alone in this tiny cell.

It was as if someone had poured a jug full of memories back into his brain. Images from the events outside Sirius's house started flashing across his vision with lightening quick speed. Malfoy. Wand. Sirius. Godson. Rain. Dirt. Pain.

But there was one thought that pushed the rest of them away. _He had a Godfather._ A Godfather! All his life he had been alone. Why hadn't Sirius come to rescue him from the Dursleys sooner? Where had he been all this time?

_Oh no. Where's Sirius?_

Harry tried hard not to panic, but it didn't appear to be working. He tried not to imagine Sirius being tortured by the death eaters, cut into pieces and bleeding on the stone floor of- wherever they were….

Harry looked at the doorway of the cell. It must be locked. He wouldn't be able to get out. Could he even stand up? Why was he hurting this bad? Harry looked down at his body, and almost puked. The death eaters had certainly had some fun with him while he'd been unconscious.

The first thing he noticed was the hole. A large, gaping dark hole just below his elbow, on the outside of his arm. It was covered in dried, crusty blood. There was still some fresh blood leaking slowly from the wound and running down his fingers. The smell was awful.

But the hole wasn't the only injury he had obtained. His pant legs had been torn off, and his knee was swollen to twice its normal size. His legs were completely red, smothered in thick, dark, sticky blood. He had no shoes. His shirt was torn in several places; the right sleeve was missing. Harry licked his lips, and a coppery taste invaded his mouth. He'd bitten through his lip yet again, and his chin was crusted with dried crimson residue.

He was helpless. Completely helpless and alone, and stuck in this hellhole. He wouldn't be able to escape. He wouldn't be able to stand on his own. And worst of all, he had no idea where Sirius was.

But he wasn't about to just give up. No way. Harry was _never_ a quitter. _Get up! Get up!_ That little voice told him. _Get the hell up, now!_ "Fine," Harry rasped to himself. He paused for a moment, then began to heave himself to his feet.

_Bloody Hell!_ He'd never hurt this badly before; not even when he'd been bitten and poisoned by a giant Basilisk fang. Tears spilled from his eyes as he screwed up his face in pain. _Come on!_

He'd raised himself to his knees. An eternity of pain had already passed by, and he wasn't even halfway there. But he'd gotten up! Maybe he wasn't completely hopeless after all.

The sound of echoing footsteps startled Harry into falling. He almost cried out from the impact of hitting his injuries on the ground. The footsteps were coming closer; they seemed to be heading directly toward his cell. Harry knew this couldn't be good.

He decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to appear unconscious. Then maybe they'd refrain from torturing him. _Then again, who knows what they'll do if this is what I already look like._

Harry lay down in the same position he'd been in when he'd woken up. His heart beat painfully against his ribs. He could see the silhouette of a man outside his cell door through the little window. Harry quickly closed his stinging eyes.

BANG! Harry almost jumped as the door was slammed open. The man was obviously angry, which wasn't a good sign. He tried to keep his breathing slow and steady.

"Still out of it, are you?" the unfamiliar man sneered. His voice was rough and gravelly, and he reeked of firewhiskey. "Not for long," he slurred. "Ennervate!"

When Harry remained still and silent, he was kicked in the ribs. This time, Harry couldn't ignore the pain. He let out a sharp hiss.

"Get up, you piece of filth!" The man bent down, seized Harry's arm, and pulled him to his feet. Harry crumpled, wrapping an arm around his stomach. He could swear he had at least two broken ribs. "Your dog wants to see you. I'm sure you've missed him." The panic spread throughout Harry's limbs like poison. _What have they done to Sirius?_

He was dragged out into a cold, stone hallway. There were no windows and no doors, other than his cell. Harry's rough breathing left puffs of steam in the musty air. He closed his eyes in an effort to block out the burning sensation traveling up his bloody legs as they were scraped along the uneven floor. From the pain in his entire body, they could have been walking for hours. When the man readjusted Harry's upper body in his tight grip, Harry realized that he was rapping sharply on a wooden door. There was the sound of rattling chains being pulled back, and the door creaked open.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting in the room. It was large, and contained multiple people decked out in long, black cloaks. However, it was the figure at the very back of the room that caught Harry's eye. He was sitting in a throne, and the death eaters were parted to form a sort of aisle leading to his seat. Harry didn't need his burning scar to tell him that this was Lord Voldemort.

They were halfway to Voldemort's chair when a low moan sounded a few feet from Harry's right. It was Sirius. There was no obvious injury on the man's body, but Harry could tell that he'd just received a cruciatus curse or two. Sirius was weak and trembling on the floor, just like Harry had been earlier that night. When Sirius took in the sight of Harry's mangled body, his eyes widened.

"Oh God, Harry," he whispered, his voice rasping. The death eater dumped Harry a few yards away from Sirius, right at the base of Voldemort's throne.

"Now, what do we have here?" Voldemort hissed. "I see that my death eaters had quite a bit of fun with you." The death eaters' gales of laughter filled the room. Voldemort stood up and circled around Harry's body until he was face to face with the boy. He leant down.

"I am tired of your little games, Harry. I am tired of chasing after you, and I am tired of failing to kill you. But that all ends now. I finally have you at my feet, where you belong. And once I am through with you tonight, you will be begging me for mercy." His white face was twisted in anger, and his red eyes seemed to gorge through Harry's skin and pierce his soul. Harry didn't break eye contact. He wasn't going to beg, no matter what Voldemort did to him.

Without any sign of warning, Voldemort snapped upright and threw a reductor curse at Harry's right foot. Harry screamed as he felt the bones shatter. Through his gasping breaths he heard Sirius yelling at Voldemort. "STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Harry opened his eyes again, and his hazy gaze settled on Sirius, who had tears streaming down his face and was staring at Harry with wide, horrified eyes. Harry knew from that point on that Sirius was going to be forced to watch the entire torture session.

Voldemort was certainly creative. He never performed the same methods more than once. He used knives, whips, his wand, and his own feet in more ways than Harry could count. Harry blacked out twice, but was revived each time. Once in a while, a curse was thrown at Sirius to stop his frantic yelling. Finally, after what seemed like hours and hours, Sirius and Harry were removed from the torture room.

Voldemort ordered them to be stored in the same cell, mainly because he wanted Sirius to feel helpless even though he was in such close proximity to his godson. They were both chained to opposite sides of the cell. As the death eaters left, Harry remained still, lying in the same position they had left him.

"Harry?" Sirius croaked, his voice cracking. Harry could hear the tears in his voice. "Harry, please…." Sirius broke off and began to sob.

"Sir- us…." Harry attempted to move his head, but fell back in a sharp groan of pain. "Don'…." But Sirius's cries became louder and harsher. He cried for minutes, until it seemed he had dried himself out of tears. He sniffed, and spoke again.

"I'm getting us out of here." His voice was resolute. "I'm getting _you_ out of here. Those bastards are never touching you again." He heard the chains shift, and there was a loud popping noise. Harry jerked his head to the side, trying to ignore the pain it caused, and saw a large black dog standing in Sirius's place. The dog easily slipped out of the chains and bounded across the cell to Harry. It started licking his face.

"Hey…," Harry groaned. With a popping noise, Sirius returned to his human body. He took Harry's head in both of his shaking hands. "_Lets get out of here," _he whispered, obviously still horrified at what they had done to his Godson.

As gently as possible, Sirius unraveled the chains around Harry's wrists, and slipped his arms through. The death eaters had obviously thought that Harry and Sirius would be too out of it to escape, because it only took a few minutes to get his limbs freed. It was lucky Harry was so thin.

Once Harry was freed, Sirius began pacing about the cell, frantically trying to come up with an escape plan. He tried to force the door open, but it was locked. He turned his head up towards the ceiling, and was surprised to see that it traveled upwards about ten feet. And- Sirius almost couldn't believe it- at the very top there was a tiny window, just large enough for a skinny man to squeeze through.

Harry knew what Sirius was thinking. But there was no way for them to get up there! He was in no position to climb the uneven walls- he couldn't even stand on his own.

"I have an idea, Harry," Sirius said quietly, kneeling down next to Harry's torso. He grabbed the long chains and began to wrap them under his arms. "I think I can climb that wall. The stones are all uneven, see? I used to do crazy stuff like this when I was in Hogwarts." Yes, for some reason Harry could picture Sirius climbing the outside of the Astronomy Tower. He almost smiled. "I'm going to carry the end of this chain all the way to the top, and then I'll pull you up. You just have to make sure you don't fall out, okay?" Harry made eye contact with Sirius to show that he understood.

Sirius finished wrapping the chains around Harry's chest and secured them with the tiny hook on the end. He then wrapped the other end of the chain around his own waist. When he was finished, he squeezed Harry's hand once and muttered, "See you at the top."

He stuck his foot firmly in one of the cracks, and with his left hand grabbed a protruding rock above his head. With a heave, he was off the ground. It continued that way for a while; Sirius pausing here and there, trying to find the easiest path to the window. Two feet from the top, he looked down at Harry. His godson had tried to get to his feet and ready himself for the pull. So far, he had succeeded in sitting up against the wall.

"You're doing good, Harry," Sirius called down softly to him, so his voice wouldn't echo. Harry looked up.

"Y-you t-too." Harry's broken voice broke Sirius's heart, but it also gave him strength. With a newfound energy, Sirius heaved himself the last two feet and grabbed onto the window pane.

Luckily for them, it had a latch. Sirius forced it to the side, and the window sprang open. A cool, early morning breeze fluttered past him into the cell. It was just before dawn and the sky was still dark, so it took a moment for Sirius to realize that he was on the roof of Voldemort's fortress. He carefully climbed out the window, planted himself securely above it so he wouldn't fall, and called down to Harry. "Ready?" At Harry's answering nod, he began to pull the chains.

It was a good thing Harry was so light, or they never would have made it. Harry tried to help out by climbing the wall like Sirius did, but he couldn't force his limbs to obey his commands. Every slight movement sent sharp needles throughout his entire body.

"Almost- there-" Sirius grunted, throwing all of his strength into the task. Finally, Harry's head popped through the window and Sirius grabbed him under his arms. He was pulled through, and they both rested a few minutes on the roof. Sirius's arms burned from the exertion. _Never do anything like that again after a cruciatus,_ he thought. Sirius quickly shut the window again so their escape route wouldn't be too obvious.

"Now… what," Harry gasped. They looked around. There was a tree hanging over the shingles to their left.

"Let's climb down that way," Sirius pointed. He gingerly scooped Harry up again, and walked quietly across the roof, careful so that his footfalls wouldn't make thumping noises inside the building. He was about to place Harry on one of the larger branches when a bright light spilled across the lawn below them. They immediately threw themselves flat against the roof and waited.

Three figures seemed to be arguing about something. Their loud voices carried across the grounds as they walked down a pathway. As soon as they were out of sight, Sirius proceeded to help Harry climb down the tree.

The sunrise overhead was glorious. The thick clouds residing in the sky were outlined with pink and yellow, giving off a spectacular glow. The sunrise produced shadows for Harry and Sirius to lurk in as they crept through the grounds. When they arrived at the front gate to the property, they paused.

"W-what if… t-there's a-an… alarm?" Harry panted nervously. They hadn't gotten this far just to be caught now, had they?

"Only one way to find out," Sirius answered. He carried Harry up to the gate, and stretched out his hand. There was a latch that had to be pulled down if the gate was to be opened. The moment before Sirius's fingers touched the latch, Harry opened his mouth to tell him to stop, but it was too late. His fingers grasped onto the piece of metal and- nothing happened.

"That was sure dramatic," Sirius said sarcastically, and opened the gate all the way. Harry snorted.

They were surrounded by trees. The fortress was obviously in the middle of the woods where no one would think to look for it. Harry and Sirius both agreed that the best escape route from here would be to stay in the woods until they came across a road or something. So that was exactly what they did.

The sun rose fully, but the sky remained dark with clouds. Harry prayed the rain would hold off a bit longer. He didn't want to be sick on top of everything else.

After a few hours of walking, they stopped to rest. Sirius's back was killing him, and the jostling from being carried was hurting Harry's ribs. Sirius placed Harry at the base of a large oak tree so Harry could lean on it for support. Sirius sat down next to him and regarded his godson. The injuries that marred his body were so sickening that it was hard to look Harry in the face. The sight of them made Sirius's blood boil. If he ever met up with those death eaters again, they'd be sorry for what they did to his charge.

A sharp gasp of pain broke Sirius' chain of thought. He focused on Harry again, who was clutching his head in agony. He was whimpering.

"Harry?! What is it?" Sirius began to panic again. Harry looked into Sirius's face and murmured, "He knows."

"What? Who knows what?"

"Volde-" But Harry couldn't finish. His eyes rolled up into his head, and he passed out.

Sirius had no idea what had happened to Harry, but he understood the general idea of what he had meant. Voldemort knew they'd escaped. And he was surely looking for them.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius swore. As fast as he could, he picked up his Godson and bolted through the trees with a renewed strength. They had to get to safety! If they were caught again, they would never get a second chance to escape. They'd most likely be killed on the spot.

It was late afternoon before Sirius finally stumbled onto a road. He had a stitch in his side and his back was killing him from carrying an unconscious Harry, but he couldn't relax. He was sure they were being followed. He looked down at the boy in his arms, who was completely covered in dried blood. What would a muggle driver say if they found them like this on the side of the road? Would they help them, or leave them there?

And where could they possibly go? Hogwarts wasn't even an option; if Sirius walked in there with a bloody Harry in his arms, they would automatically assume he'd done it. Saint Mungo's was out of the question. And they couldn't go to Grimmauld Place; if the death eaters had gotten in once, they could definitely do it again. That left only one option, an option that Sirius wasn't completely sure about either.

The sound of an approaching car startled Sirius out of his worries. He had a task to do, and if he didn't achieve it Harry would undoubtedly die. The boy's breathing was becoming shallow with each passing hour, and Sirius didn't want to push his luck any farther than he had to. With a leap, Sirius was in the road and waving his free arm frantically at the driver of the approaching car. The vehicle slowed and the man rolled down his window.

"You've got to help us!" Sirius cried. "I have to get my godson to a hospital! He's dying!" The driver was shocked at Harry's condition.

"What happened to him?" he asked weakly.

"There was an accident," Sirius replied, already at the car's door. "Please. He's all I have left." The emotion in his voice didn't need to be faked.

"Alright, get in," the man answered, unlocking the door. Sirius jumped inside, with Harry sitting in his lap. With a roar, the car took off at an alarming speed.

"Where are we?" Sirius asked. The man glanced at Harry again before answering.

"Just outside New Forest. There's a town up ahead. If we speed, I think I can get you there in fifteen minutes."

"Does that town happen to be Winchester?" Sirius asked, hope blossoming inside his chest.

"Right in one."

_Thank God._ Sirius knew that Remus would know what to do. "I've got a friend who lives there. He can drive us to the hospital. You can drop us at his house."

The man looked at Harry again. "You sure about that? He looks like he's lost quite a bit of blood." Sirius tightened his arms around Harry's body.

"He's going to make it," Sirius said, mainly to reassure himself. The man looked at him in pity, and drove on in silence.

When they got closer to the town, Sirius gave the man (Eddie Thompson, was his name) the address of Remus's cottage. They arrived at the end of the long path two minutes later. Sirius thanked Eddie, and the man drove away.

Sirius practically ran up the mossy, overgrown path to the cottage door. To his immense relief, the light was on inside and there was smoke emerging from the chimney. With a deep breath, Sirius reached up and rapped his knuckles on the wooden door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter! I am just playing with him and his friends for a while.

Ch. 5

Footsteps thumped across the wooden floor. Sirius trembled with worry and anticipation. He jumped at the sound of a lock sliding out of place, before the door opened.

Silence. Sirius watched as Remus stared first at Harry's bloody face, and then into Sirius's eyes. His own face, white as a ghost, was twisted in a mixture of horror and fury.

"Moony," Sirius's broken voice stopped Remus from cursing him on the spot. "I didn't- I would never- It was death eaters-"

"How do I know this isn't some stupid story you've made up to cover Harry's disappearance?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?" Remus's wand was out and pointed directly between Sirius's tearful eyes. "Get out of here NOW before I blow you up!" His face was wild; Sirius could see the wolf coming out.

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Sirius roared in desperation. Remus continued to look horrified, and his eyes widened slightly. "We have to get him inside! I swear they're following us! We escaped! Moony, they're going to kill him-" Sirius broke down completely. His face crumpled as the tears began streaming down his cheeks and pattered onto Harry's blood- stained face. "P-please let us in! I'll do a-anything! I c-can't lose him, Moony!"

Remus was shaking his head in disbelief. He looked as if he was going to be sick. He forcefully tried to lift Harry out of Sirius's arms, but the man refused to let go. Instead of waiting for permission, he barged past Lupin and dashed into the cottage.

"HEY!" Remus shouted, running after Sirius. His wand emitted several red sparks, which scorched the walls. He arrived in the sitting room just in time to see Sirius lay Harry down on the sofa cushions, and grab onto the boy's hand when his eyelids fluttered.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear me? If you can, open your eyes, kiddo." There was a low moan of pain, and his eyelashes fluttered again. Remus's wand tip drooped slightly. "That's it. C'mon, Harry. We're safe now." Sirius turned around and growled at Remus, "Shut the door." Remus complied after a moment of fearful hesitancy.

When Lupin came back, Harry's eyes were open, and he was grasping onto Sirius's hand for dear life. "S-rus…. Are th-… g-gone?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, we're safe now," he repeated quietly. He looked around for Remus again. "He needs medical help. Can you call Pomfrey?" Remus stared at his old friend for a moment, trying desperately to work out yet another complicated puzzle. _Since when is life so difficult?_ Finally he nodded. He spun around, grabbed some floo powder from an oak cabinet, and disappeared into the kitchen.

The powder stuck to Remus's sweaty hands as he tried to shake it into the flames. He kept glancing back over his shoulder into the sitting room, where Sirius Black was currently kneeling next to the couch, with a dying Harry held in his trembling arms. Was this a joke, or did Sirius really save Harry from Voldemort?

He was startled when enough powder was finally sprinkled into the fire, and bright green flames erupted in the hearth. With a final glance over his shoulder, he shoved his head face first into the heat, while shouting, "Hogwarts hospital wing!"

??

When Lupin eventually came back after contacting the frantic mediwitch, he couldn't help but pause to watch for a moment. Sirius was whispering softly to Harry, while running a shaking hand through his hair. Remus cleared his throat loudly.

"Poppy will be here in two minutes," he said. "I suggest you go upstairs, Sirius," he added, despite the look Sirius gave him. "She has no idea that- I mean, she probably won't react well to seeing you here." Just then, they heard the roar of the fire in the kitchen, and the sound of a body tumbling out into the table. Sirius squeezed Harry's hand again, transformed into a dog, and bounded up the stairs just as Madame Pomfrey entered the room.

"Oh my word!" she exclaimed. "What in Merlin's name happened to him this time?" She was at Harry's side in an instant, unloading her bag of potions and other mysterious instruments. The healer muttered a quick spell under her breath to clean off all the blood, and gasped. Harry's torso was covered in deep gashes and bruises of all shapes and sizes. Lupin shuddered.

"I'll need to work quickly without any interruptions," she shot at Remus. "You- get out of this room this instant!" When Remus began to protest, she pointed her finger at the stairs. Feeling like a little child, Remus reluctantly followed her orders. He could feel Harry's green eyes burning a hole through the back of his shirt as he tramped up the wooden steps.

At the top of the stairs sat the large black dog. Remus motioned for the dog to follow him into the first bedroom on the left, and closed the door behind them. He then turned to Sirius, who had transformed and collapsed on the bed. Remus noticed that he was shaking.

"Are you alright?" Remus asked coldly, while trying to fight his curiosity.

Sirius snorted. "It takes more than a few cruciatus curses to finish me. It's Harry we should be worrying about." He wiped the tear stains from his cheeks forcefully.

There was a cold, awkward silence that stretched on and on. They could hear the muffled noises of Madame Pomfrey's potion bottles clinking together from downstairs. After about ten minutes, Remus finally snapped.

"How could you do it?" he hissed angrily.

"How could I do what, exactly?" Sirius shot back with malice. He clenched his fingers into a ball, and his knuckles turned white.

"Lily and James were the best friends I could have ever asked for," Remus began. "How could you-"

"_I never betrayed them!"_ Sirius tried to keep his voice low so he wouldn't startle Madame Pomfrey. Harry needed the medical attention more than he needed to yell. When Remus opened his mouth to speak again, Sirius cut him off. "I switched with _Peter_, the bastard! It was _Peter_ who betrayed them! We thought that Voldemort wouldn't think twice about us using a little weakling like him! That bloody bastard handed them straight over, the moment he became Secret Keeper!" Sirius was breathing hard after his quiet outburst. His stomach bubbled with fury at the thought of the traitor. "If you thought for _one second_ that I'd betray James and Lily, then you didn't know me at all."

Remus was speechless, yet he had a strange feeling that he should have expected something like this to happen._ The story actually made sense._ It explained everything, even the shadow of doubt that had followed Remus for the past twelve years. He regarded Sirius, who had risen from the bed and begun pacing back and forth in a furious rampage. He tried to fit the pieces together- was his friend really innocent? Had he spent all that time in Azkaban for something he didn't do? The thought sickened Remus.

"Sirius- I-" Remus swallowed. "I don't know what to say."

Sirius stopped his pacing and turned to face Remus. His eyes were clouded with emotion. "Say you believe me."

Remus looked at the floor with a mixture of shame and pity written all over his features. "I wanted to believe you hadn't really done it. I really did. But all the evidence showed Peter was dead… and you were the secret keeper…." He turned his head up again. There would be one last test. "Lift up your sleeve."

"What?" Sirius's eyes narrowed.

"Your left sleeve. If you haven't got the dark mark, then I'll believe you. Show me."

Sirius' face drooped with relief. Without any hesitation, he pushed the filthy cloth up his left arm to expose his bare forearm. He smiled devilishly.

Remus stared at the pale skin for a brief moment, before he met Sirius's eyes again. "_I'm sorry,_" he whispered.

His words cracked the ice between them. Sirius's face broke into a broad grin. He opened his mouth to reply, but a sharp yell brought them back to the situation at hand.

"Harry!" Sirius was almost out the door before Remus grabbed onto his arm. He turned to glare at Lupin.

"Transform first," he said. As soon as the bear- like dog appeared at his side, they bolted down the stairs.

Harry was sitting up on the sofa, holding his arm as Madame Pomfrey stood over him with a pink potion bottle in her hand. She looked down at the boy in pity.

"You've got to sit still if you want it to heal," she scolded gently. It seemed as if she were fighting to keep her professional appearance from disappearing. Sirius and Remus watched as she pried Harry's hand away from a gaping, bloody hole below Harry's elbow. Lupin almost fainted at the sight of it.

"Merlin- I need to sit down. Take the potion, Harry," he added wearily as he took a seat in an armchair. Harry grimaced at the pink bottle before downing it in one large gulp. He gagged.

"No, don't throw it up, boy!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed. "That's a very valuable potion, takes several days to make. Professor Snape worked especially hard on this batch." Over in the corner of the room, the black dog gave a sudden, vicious growl. Madame Pomfrey shrieked, dropping the bandages she was carrying.

"Where in the world did that animal come from? Lupin, get it out of here this instant! I cannot have Mr. Potter's injuries become contaminated!" She frowned at Sirius, who approached Harry regardless of the imposing woman standing beside him. He licked Harry's hand.

"C'mere, Padfoot," Lupin murmured, without standing up. Sirius ignored him.

"Now, I really must insist," Madame Pomfrey began, "I cannot do my job if there is a zoo of-"

"But it's not a zoo," Lupin insisted, "Padfoot is a very good dog. He'll just sit down until you finish with Harry." Remus shot a pointed look at Sirius, who finally sat back on his haunches beside Lupin's chair. If a dog could pout, Sirius was certainly accomplishing the act.

Harry had finally swallowed the entire potion, and was watching the events with droopy eyes. "Aren't you almost done?" he asked quietly.

"Almost, dear," Madame Pomfrey's voice softened, wrapping his arm in clean, white cloth. She then busied herself with more trinkets and potion bottles. Lupin watched with pity as she measured out an extra large dose of skele- grow. "I say- where have you been all this time? Not with Remus, surely? The aurors have been searching night and day." Harry's eyebrows shot up.

"What are aurors?"

"Dark wizard catchers," Lupin answered. "It's their job to hunt down the supporters of Voldemort and throw them in Azkaban, the wizard prison." He half glanced at Sirius, who stiffened at his words. Madame Pomfrey flinched at the word Voldemort, almost dropping the bottles she was holding out for Harry.

"Here we are. This is a dreamless sleep potion and a dose of skele- grow, and the other is for pain. I need you to drink this now," she added, holding out the skele- grow. Harry made a face. He vividly remembered the last time he'd had to drink that stuff. It hadn't been a peasant experience. Nonetheless, he downed it in a few determined gulps.

"If you feel any discomfort besides that of the skele- grow, call me immediately." Harry nodded, and reached out for the dreamless sleep potion. Lupin jumped up to pour him a glass, which Harry downed. He was asleep in seconds.

The large black dog sighed, slouching over to the sofa to lay his head upon the dark cushions. He gently licked Harry's hand again.

"Remus…," Madame Pomfrey started, once she was sure Harry was asleep. "Harry is not in a good condition at all, whatsoever." There was something hidden in her tone that made Lupin nervous. Padfoot's ears pricked.

"Erm… and why is that, exactly?"

Madame Pomfrey continued to clear up her materials and place them back into her bag. "He's sustained several serious injuries, as you've seen already… and I _will_ want to know how he managed to get them…. However, there was something else that caught my attention." She turned to look Lupin in the eyes. "I have right to assume that this boy was beaten by his relatives for a long time before he arrived here. He has month old scars all over his body, some of them _years_ old."

Lupin's mouth was dry, and the pit of his stomach lurched sickeningly. "I knew it," he growled. "I _knew_ it! I saw him two days ago working in his aunt's garden. It must have been over a hundred degrees, so I walked over to talk to him. He had a giant, swollen bruise on his cheek." Remus closed his eyes in deep regret. "I should have taken him then. I wanted to- but he didn't seem to want to talk to me. _No wonder_. His uncle probably beat him afterwards…." Lupin looked at Sirius, who was nodding his head. He emitted a high pitched whine.

"Am I right to think that the majority of this was the work of death eaters?" Once again, the dog moved his head. Remus answered for him. "Yes." He was still yearning to know what they had gotten themselves into.

"Who is going to tell the headmaster that Mr. Potter is safe? I assume you haven't had time to do so?" Madame Pomfrey gave Lupin a quizzical look. She seemed annoyed at his lack of response. Lupin inclined his head in answer. "I was hoping you could do that," he said. "I would like to spend some time with Harry." The healer nodded in comprehension, and turned to leave, but-

"Wait. Madame Pomfrey?" Lupin quickly said. "I was wondering if we could have an extra potion for the cruciatus curse." She raised an eyebrow.

"Harry doesn't need one."

"Yes, I understand," Lupin continued, "But I'd like to keep one on handy… just in case, you know…."

She sighed, but rummaged through her bag and fished out a tiny bottle. "You'll need no more than a few sips for it to work. But _only for emergencies!_" And with that, she exited through the fire.

Lupin glanced at the sleeping Harry, and turned to the black dog. He smiled. "I think you know what to do with this." Lupin waved the tiny potion bottle at Padfoot. He set it on the table beside the sofa, sat back down on his armchair, and closed his eyes.

??

When Harry awoke, the room was completely dark. He rolled over, and was surprised when the movement didn't hurt much. As he blinked his eyes to adjust them to the dim lighting, he noticed a dark shape a few feet away from his makeshift bed. His heart began to thud against his adam's apple, and his throat closed up in fear. An odd choking noise emerged from his mouth as he struggled to breath properly.

The figure, which had evidently been asleep, gave a loud grunt. It jumped to its feet and grabbed the panicked boy by the shoulders. Harry heard a voice shouting in his ear to calm down, but he was beyond reason.

Flashes of the events at Privet Drive and Voldemort's fortress were running through his mind. _Uncle Vernon raising his hand to strike him… Voldemort's foot coming in contact with his ribs… The death eaters' jeers mixed with Harry's screams…_ He was positive this man was going to hurt him. Harry emitted a strangled yell and kicked out at the person, who gave another grunt as his foot connected with their chest.

A dog barked from the other side of the sofa, and suddenly the lights came on. Sirius was standing beside the light switch, looking half asleep and startled. Harry was dismayed to see Remus Lupin learning against his armchair, holding his stomach.

"Sorry- I'm so sorry-" Harry gasped, his limbs still shaking. "I didn't know it was you. I thought-"

Remus waved his free hand to brush aside Harry's apology. "I'm perfectly fine. It's not your fault, Harry." He stood up and returned to Harry's bedside. He knelt down and pat Harry's arm comfortingly.

Sirius was already sitting next to Harry on the cushions. He gently pushed his godson back into the pillows and ran a hand through his messy hair. Harry tensed slightly.

"What is it, Harry?" Sirius asked softly. His hand drooped. "Are you in pain?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine." Harry avoided eye contact, hoping desperately that his face wouldn't give him away. Had his hands stopped shaking yet?

"No, you're not. Don't try to deny it." Sirius reached out and tilted Harry's chin up. "Look me in the eyes. What's wrong?"

Harry felt trapped. He quickly tried to squash down the renewed panic he was experiencing from Sirius' insistence. "I was just startled, that's all. It's been a rough two days…."

Remus and Sirius shared a look. Remus cleared his throat. "From what I hear, it's been a rough summer for you."

Harry could feel an ominous bubble of fear rising. "Er- what did you hear?" he asked in a high pitched voice. The two adults seemed reluctant to answer his question. Lupin cleared his throat again.

"Well… Madame Pomfrey was here, cleaning up your injuries, and- well, she found some stuff underneath all the blood. Old scars, to be specific." Lupin was making an effort to keep his voice light.

Harry's eyes widened, and he tried to repress a shudder at the memories those words invoked. It wasn't missed by either Sirius or Remus.

"Harry," Sirius started gently, "The longer you keep it pent up in your mind, the worse it'll get. You've got to talk about it sometime." When Harry didn't reply, Sirius squeezed his hand. "C'mon, kiddo. You know I'd never hurt you, right?"

Harry's deep green eyes searched Sirius's face. "_Are you really my godfather?_" he whispered, biting his lip.

Sirius smiled warmly. "Of course."

"Then what kept you from getting me earlier?" Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but choked on the words. How could he possibly explain the situation to Harry? Sirius himself had a tough time accepting what had happened, and it had been twelve years…. Would Harry hate him for it? _No,_ a voice in the back of his mind told him. _Harry will find out anyways, regardless of whether or not you tell him now. _

"I'll make you a deal," he finally said. "If I share what stopped me from getting you away from Privet Drive, then you have to tell me what happened in that house." Harry reluctantly, and very slowly, nodded in agreement. "Should I go first, or do you want to?" Harry quickly shook his head. Sirius sighed. "Alright, but keep in mind that this isn't exactly a pleasant story, Harry." Harry just lowered his gaze to stare at his folded hands.

Sirius fidgeted, not entirely sure where to start, but began to speak. "A long time ago when I attended Hogwarts, I had an amazing group of friends. We were so close that even when we graduated, we still did everything together. It was me, Remus, a man named Peter Petigrew, and your father, James." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath, and continued. "After James got married to Lily, and they had you, I was named your godfather. Everything was fine until you turned one, and a pro-"

Lupin suddenly punched Sirius on the shoulder to quiet him. At first Sirius looked indignant, but his eyes slowly widened as he realized he'd almost slipped.

"What was that?" Harry's head snapped up. He wasn't about to give up that easily. He knew that Sirius had meant to say something _highly_ important.

"I just- what I was staying was that a _proposition_ was made that I should become your secret keeper." Yes, that would work just fine. Lupin's shoulders slumped in relief.

"What's a secret keeper?" Harry asked, distracted.

"It's a person who holds the secret of the Fidelius charm." At Harry's blank stare, Sirius elaborated. "When Voldemort decided to hunt you and your parents, Dumbledore set up a charm that would hide you. There would be only one person who knew your exact location. If that person chose to reveal that location to another person, then they would be able to find you. You see? As long as I didn't tell anyone where you and your parents were, Voldemort wouldn't be able to find you." Here, Harry could sense some regret laced along Sirius' words.

"But what really happened?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius inquired nervously.

"Obviously, something happened and you weren't the secret keeper anymore, because I know you'd never betray me on purpose." Harry's words caused Sirius's heart to swell like a great red balloon. He had to blink several times to clear his eyes. _Holy Hell. My godson believes me even before I tell him the full story. _

"Well, you're right," Sirius choked out. He sniffed quietly, and squeezed Harry's hand. "I knew that Voldemort would know I was the secret keeper, because James and I were so close… so we switched with Peter." Sirius's free hand clenched into a fist. His blood began to boil, and Lupin touched his shoulder gently to calm him. As Sirius took deep breaths, he noticed Harry's eyes had widened slightly in fear. Regret filled his heart. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm not scared," Harry lied, eager to hear the remainder of the story. "What happened next?"

Sirius took a deep breath. "Peter told Voldemort where your parents' house was, and he… well, I think you know what happened then. But after Hagrid took you away from the scene, I hunted down Peter. I wanted to repay him for everything he'd done…. But Peter had a clearer mind that night. He blasted the street behind him into pieces, killing thirteen people. Then he transformed into his animagus form, a rat, and scampered down the sewer. When the Ministry arrived, there I was, standing with my wand drawn in front of a bloody town lying in shambles." Sirius looked at the floor. "I was sent to Azkaban. I've been there ever since… at least until last week. I escaped." He looked up at his godson, who was staring at him in pity.

They sat in silence for a long while, with Sirius holding Harry's hand and Remus running his fingers through Harry's messy hair. Finally it was Remus who broke the quiet atmosphere. "So what's your story, Harry? What really happened with your relatives?"

Harry's stomach lurched in fright. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"It's okay, kiddo," Sirius repeated in a whisper. "You can tell us anything, and we'd never hate you." Remus nodded in agreement.

Harry worked his jaw to loosen the cramped muscles. "Uncle Vernon wasn't happy with the way I left last summer," Harry began in a low murmur. "Ron and his brothers picked me up in a flying car. Uncle Vernon hates magic… I can't even mention Hogwarts without-" He stopped abruptly.

"Without…," Remus probed gently. Harry swallowed dryly.

"He hit me," he whispered. His hands began to shake again, and Sirius tightened his grip on them. "I got into the house and he threw me into the wall. I hadn't done anything." Harry's eyes glistened and burned. "He locked me in my room for days without food. When I was let out, I had to work on my chores. If I made any mistakes, he'd hit me." Tears leaked down the broken boy's nose. Sirius enveloped him into a hug, determined to never let go. Vernon Dursley would never lay a hand on his godson again, if it was the last thing he ever did.

For the remainder of the night, the three of them stayed on the sofa together. The stars outside shone brightly; the clouds had all dissipated as quickly as they'd appeared two days previously. Harry sat with his head on Sirius' shoulder as the older man dozed. Outside, a brilliant shooting star flew over the cottage, and Harry smiled as he drifted off to sleep with a peaceful mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters! All the credit goes to Jo Rowling, for creating such a wonderful story we could not live without.

Ch. 6

The sun shone brightly through the glass window of the headmaster's office at seven o'clock in the morning. As Dumbledore looked out across the grounds, he could tell that this would be a beautiful, warm day. _About time,_ he thought. Hopefully the rain had stopped for the remainder of the summer. Although this thought would have normally brightened his mood, Dumbledore couldn't help but frown as he remembered why he'd woken up this early in the first place. True, Dumbledore was never a late sleeper; however, waking up at five o' clock in the morning for the second day in a row as a result of conflicting mind issues was abnormal for the old wizard.

Yes, it was fantastic that Harry had been found and saved from Lord Voldemort. It was a great relief that Harry was expected to make a full recovery within the next week. But his position at Remus Lupin's residence was not safe. At any moment, Voldemort could walk through the front door and kill every occupant of the house. There was no way that Harry would be able to remain there permanently.

And what about the news of Sirius Black, the convicted mass murderer who was supposedly after Harry? All evidence led to the conclusion that Black had saved the boy from the death eaters during the attack on Privet Drive. But hadn't the man recaptured Harry and taken him back to the dark lord? Dumbledore rubbed his eyes beneath his half- moon spectacles wearily as his forehead creased into an even deeper frown. None of it made sense. For one of the first times in his life, Albus Dumblefore was clueless.

Regardless of the misery it would undoubtedly cause both Harry and Remus, Dumbledore had no choice but to send Harry back to Privet Drive. It was the only way for the blood protection to stay in place. Madame Pomfrey had explained Harry's relationship with his relatives to him in great detail, describing the scars that marred the boy's torso from excessive beatings.

"He cannot return to that house, Albus," she had stated firmly. "Think of what it will do to him psychologically!" But Dumbledore would not listen to her reasoning. He had his own reasons for keeping Harry there his entire life, and he wasn't going to call it quits anytime soon.

Dumbledore turned away from the window, rubbing his forehead in fatigue. He'd spent the last 48 hours worrying as he'd never worried before. To think- if the boy had died… all hope for the wizarding world would be lost in a heartbeat. Dumbledore shook his head. That was one of the things he regretted most- having to place such a large burden across a boy's shoulders and expect him to get the job done cleanly.

Dumbledore settled himself in his high- backed wooden chair, calmly regarding the shadows on the office floor. He'd always thought it interesting, how so many different shapes could be formed from a single object's shadow…. He sighed again, this time much louder than before. He was procrastinating, and he was very much aware of it. But his mind was swirling too fast at the moment to do much else. Various questions kept popping up, such as: How would Harry welcome Dumbledore, after all the letters he'd ignored from the boy over the summer? Albus felt a twinge of regret in his heart at the thought. Or- would it have been right to send along an accurate answer, the truth that may have turned Harry against him? The elderly man shook his head in exhaustion. No, of course not. The boy was _thirteen years old_. Of _course_ he couldn't handle something like that at such a young age. Harry would be much better off if he discovered the truth of his destiny later on, after he'd had a chance to mature; perhaps in a few years' time….

His decision made, Dumbledore persuaded himself to push back his carved wooden chair and get to his unsteady feet. His own antics confused himself- the last time he'd been this nervous was the day he defeated Grindelwald…. Surely, talking with Harry wouldn't be nearly that bad….

_No,_ Dumbledore thought with a deep sigh, as he walked tiredly over to the fireplace, _but he was not looking forward to this meeting, whatsoever_.

??

Harry blinked against the bright sun that was streaming through the slats of the closed blinds. Lupin was off in the kitchen making Harry and himself some breakfast, while Sirius slept on in an overstuffed armchair. Harry noticed that the dog's steady breathing wheezed slightly each time he exhaled. Harry hoped his godfather wasn't getting sick.

None of the occupants of the cottage had gotten much sleep the previous night besides light dozing. Instead, they had all sat on the sofa, with Harry squashed in between the other two, and they had talked. Sirius and Remus told Harry stories from their time at Hogwarts, while Harry listened with interest. It had been relaxing and peaceful; for the first time in a while, none of them had worried about anything and simply enjoyed each other's presence.

Harry suspected that he'd been slipped a sleep potion at one point during the night, for he couldn't remember anything after Lupin had gotten him a large glass of water from the kitchen. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. From now on, he'd have to be very careful with what he ate and drank.

A loud crash and a shout tore Harry from his thoughts abruptly. His head whipped around to peer through the kitchen doorway, as the dog on the armchair slept on in a deep slumber.

"Albus!" he heard Lupin exclaim. The voices _(voices?) _became more jumbled together, but Harry already had a pretty good idea of who was in the kitchen. He relaxed for a brief moment, before his stomach turned ice cold. _Oh no- Sirius!_

Harry tried to throw himself out of his temporary bed, but he quickly found out that his limbs wouldn't work the way he wanted them to. With a loud thump, he landed on the wooden floor beneath the coffee table. Dark puffs of dust curled up into his nostrils and eyes. The black dog, finally aroused, snorted and stretched its paws, peeking one amused eye open before thumping its tail against the armrest.

"_Sirius!"_ Harry hissed through a mouthful of dust, _"Dumbledore's here!_"

The dog leapt out of his seat in an instant and barged up the staircase as if there were an angry colony of bees on its tail. His ears were pinned back and his neck was outstretched like he was in a race. Harry snorted. Sirius disappeared just in time- the moment his footsteps faded away, Dumbledore walked into the sitting room.

"Harry?" He began to question, but was interrupted.

"HARRY!" Lupin shouted, dashing over to the boy on the floor as if he'd been critically injured. _Well, I have been,_ Harry mused. "Are you alright? What happened? Why are you on the floor? Are you in any pain? How-?"

"I'm fine," Harry choked out through his mouthful of dustballs. His itchy eyes flickered over to the now empty armchair in an attempt to convey the message on to Remus. "I was just surprised to hear someone else in the kitchen, that's all."

Dumbledore hummed to himself after muttering a soft, "Understandable," in Harry's general direction.

With the help of Lupin, Harry's stiff limbs eventually made it back onto the mountain of pillows and blankets. He tried not to disturb his previously wounded arm too much; it was still very sensitive. With trepidation, Harry turned his eyes onto his aged Headmaster.

"It's good to see you back safe and whole, Harry," Dumbledore said, his deep blue eyes twinkling. "We were all beginning to become extremely worried." Harry thought he saw something in those blue eyes flicker, and suddenly found it extremely hard to keep eye contact.

"Er- yeah…," Harry tugged at a loose thread on his blanket as his cheeks burned, not knowing exactly how to reply. There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Harry tried desperately not to let his hands shake.

"Remus, I was wondering if I could speak to Harry for a few moments in private?" Dumbledore asked quietly. Lupin looked surprised, but left the room anyways. To Harry, the hollow thump of footfalls was like a death sentence. He knew nothing good would come out of this conversation. If anything, Dumbledore wanted to hear what happened at Voldemort's fortress, something that Harry wasn't sure he was ready to talk about yet. In the distance they heard a door close, and the house was quiet again.

There was another brief silence. Harry couldn't meet the eyes of his headmaster any longer. Instead, he stared at his hands as if they were the most interesting things he'd ever seen.

"Harry, I am sorry to make this blunt, but I haven't much time to spare for niceties," Dumbledore began in a regretful voice. "Since both Voldemort and Sirius Black are currently looking for you, it is not safe for you to stay here." He paused again, sighed, and continued. "I fear it is time for you to return to Privet Drive." Dumbledore seemed to be waiting for the explosion. If that's what he had been expecting, he was terribly wrong.

"W-what?" Harry sputtered. His gut twisted itself into a tight knot, and his fists clenched. That certainly _wasn't_ what he'd been expecting. _Don't panic!_

Dumbledore was surprised at the lack of anger. He decided to elaborate. "We have no other option. The blood protection in your aunt's house is the only thing that will keep Voldemort and his followers at bay. Without it, I fear that you will be hunted down and attacked."

Although his words chilled Harry to the bone, he automatically knew it was true. Voldemort was now determined to kill him personally, and Harry knew that he'd stop at nothing to do so. Harry slowly nodded. If staying in this house meant that Sirius and Remus would be attacked and possibly killed, then he'd leave willingly. "I'll go," he muttered. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Since when had Harry been _that_ easy to convince? Casting his bewildered thoughts aside, he held out a hand. "Let's get you ready to leave, then."

Before they could move any further, a dog barked from the landing above. Thumping footsteps could be heard as it ran down the stairs. Dumbledore looked even more confused, an extremely rare sight indeed.

"Has Remus gotten a new pet?" he questioned. Harry nodded quickly, while silently cursing Sirius for eavesdropping.

"Yeah, I think Remus was lonely being in this house all by himself, and everything, so when he found this stray, he took him in. He's really friendly," Harry invented on the spot. The enormous black dog came bounding over to Harry's outstretched hand and licked his slobbering tongue all over Harry's face. He barked boomingly.

Remus must have heard the ruckus, because he came dashing into the sitting room. As he skidded to a stop, he exclaimed, "Yes, the dog's mine. I found him just a few days ago out in the garden." He watched as Sirius continued to attack Harry with giant, wet licks as the boy desperately tried to push him off his chest. "Come here, S- er- Snuffles." The dog padded over to Lupin and collapsed onto the floor at his feet. He panted, his long tongue dangling out of his mouth and dripping with saliva. At the moment, he looked completely innocent.

Dumbledore chuckled as Harry wiped his face with his sleeve in disgust, and glared at Sirius. The dog simply wagged his tail happily.

"Well, Harry, why don't you get yourself cleaned up and ready to leave?" Dumbledore repeated. "I've got a portkey scheduled to go off in ten minutes." The old wizard missed the startled look on Lupin's face and the way the dog's tail stopped wagging abruptly. Harry nodded, still avoiding everyone's eyes, and carefully eased himself off the couch and headed for the bathroom, grabbing his cloths on the way (Remus had insisted that he borrow a pair of clean pajamas while his filthy jeans and tee shirt were washed). He guessed that he would find out what a portkey was in a few minutes.

"Where exactly is Harry going?" Lupin asked with narrowed eyes at the headmaster's back. A feeling of dread was slowly creeping up his throat. The dog on the floor raised his hackles.

"I have no choice but to return Harry to his aunt and uncle's house," Dumbledore began. "The blood protection will only remain intact if-"

"_Screw the blood protection!" _Remus hissed. "That boy cannot go back to that house! I will not allow it!" He tried to keep his voice low so as to not alert Harry there was an argument going on, but have enough threat to make Dumbledore listen to reason.

"I am afraid, Remus, that you have no say in the matter. If you would like, I can set up residence for you in Arabella Figg's house so that you are on duty at all times. However, I can not prevent his return. It is the only way possible for Harry to stay safe."

"What about his safety from his own relatives? You heard what Vernon Dursley did to Harry, didn't you?" Lupin's face was steadily turning beet red.

Dumbledore hung his head.

"I will speak to them as soon as we arrive at the house. They will not lay a finger on Harry for the entire time he is there."

The dog growled menacingly, obviously upset about the situation. Lupin continued. "He just escaped from death eaters! From Voldemort himself! He's injured! Who's going to take care of him properly?"

Dumbledore held his head high, meaning that there would be no swaying him in his decision- Lupin had known the man long enough to understand that much. But what if he bent the rules slightly? In desperation, Lupin ground out his last chance at keeping Harry safe and healthy.

"At least allow Harry to take Snuffles with him. That way, I'd know for certain that he's protected. Snuffles is very well trained, so it wouldn't cause a problem to leave him in the house." Sirius shot Remus an extremely grateful and relieved look. However, they weren't out of the dark waters yet.

"I think not," the old wizard replied, ignoring the death stare coming form Lupin. "Petunia Dursley does not appear to be the animal type, and I fear that a dog in the house would not be tolerated. It may make her less willing to allow Harry living space."

Harry forcefully opened the bathroom door and came marching out with his arms crossed. "She won't mind. Trust me." He shot Sirius a wink. Inside his head, Sirius sniggered. There was no doubt in his mind that Harry had been listening to the entire conversation. _That's my Pronglet!_ he thought.

Dumbledore sighed, looking older than any of them had ever seen him before. The recent events were taking their toll on the wise man. "We'll see," he said.

Harry breathed.

??

Number 4 Privet Drive looked almost the exact same as it did the night Harry was thrown out of the house, with only a few minor changes. The warm sun beat down from a cloudless sky onto the white picket fence, causing the paint to chip and crack. The flowerbeds were in desperate need of weeding, and the lawn needed to be mowed. Petunia Dursley regarded her precious yard out the kitchen window with a deeply critical eye. The grass was quite a few inches longer than it had been last week, when the _boy_ had been ordered to mow it. But he had ignored her husband's orders. _The worthless brat._ How dare he set foot in this house she worked so hard to keep clean and sanitary, wearing the cloths she threw on his ungrateful back, when all he did was lie around, lazing in the sun? _Probably hoping for a nice tan to show off to his freaky friends at that school of his,_ she thought menacingly. She was torn from her thoughts abruptly at the sound of the back screen door opening with a squeak.

"Diddykins? You're home early," she simpered, moving through the kitchen to greet her son. However, the person at the door wasn't her precious Diddy. In fact, the _persons_ at the door weren't wearing the kind, thoughtful smile that Dudley always wore as his mother welcomed him into the house. The boy at the front had no expression evident on his face at all. Petunia felt her lip curl into a furious snarl aimed at this particular boy.

"_What are you doing here?!"_ she shrieked. "Get out of my house at once!" Harry stopped dead in his tracks. An unfamiliar man pushed from behind the small assembly to stand in front of Harry protectively. Petunia noticed him pull out a wand.

"You will not speak to Harry that way," the man threatened. His voice was even, but a spark of anger was evident in his amber eyes. A low growl, almost like that of a wolf, was rising in his throat.

"That will be enough, Remus," the oldest wizard of the group said. Petunia thought she recognized him, but she couldn't be sure. Before she could contemplate the matter, however, the wizard spoke again.

"It has been a while since we have corresponded, Petunia." Petunia shivered, realizing at once who this old man was. "Harry has returned to your home for a specific purpose, of which, I believe, you are already familiar with. As you may know, the dark wizard Lord Voldemort has returned to full power, and has already made two bids on Harry's life in the past few days. This leaves us no choice but to return him to your residence. As he is here, you will treat him with respect. If word reaches me that Harry has been abused in any way, the consequences will be dire." His speech left a ringing silence in the gleaming kitchen. Petunia, for once, had no idea how to reply. Shock and all consuming hatred prevented her from getting any words out.

"I will also ask you for your cooperation regarding Harry's new dog. He is extremely well trained, and I assure you, it should not cause a problem keeping him in the house." Petunia craned her neck to see where this mysterious dog was. She let out another shriek. The thing was enormous, and- filthy! And in her kitchen!

Dumbledore turned his back on Petunia, and lay a hand on Harry's tense shoulder. "Good luck, my dear boy. I shall see you at the end of summer." Harry forced a small smile.

"Harry," Remus put in, "any difficulties at all, and I'm a few doors down. Don't hesitate to owl me, alright?" Harry nodded. He looked down at Sirius in his dog form, who gently whimpered, nudging Harry's hand with his nose to remind him that he wouldn't be alone. This time, Harry really did smile.

"I'll be okay," he said. "See you at Hogwarts," he directed towards Dumbledore. His headmaster's eyes twinkled.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Remus enveloped Harry into a tight hug. Harry tensed before relaxing into the comfort it provided. He'd never been hugged like this before… and he liked it. "Bye, Harry," Remus whispered into his ear, releasing the boy he loved like his own. With that, the two men grabbed onto the portkey again and disappeared, leaving Harry, Sirius, and Petunia standing in the middle of the kitchen.

Harry slowly raised his head to stare at his aunt's furious face. He wouldn't be surprised if lightening bolts shot down from the ceiling. He gulped.

**A/N: **There! That's not such a bad cliffy, is it? Maybe? Sorry if i come across as mean, but i really can't resist!

p.s. the more reviews i get, the happier i am, therefore the faster i write the chapters. (hint hint) Thank you to all the people who have written such amazing comments. 3 Seriously, that's what keeps me going.

I welcome any constructive criticism as well. This is the first story I've written, so I'm still learning. :)

I'm also sorry if i haven't really captured the character of Dumbledore correctly... I've never really written anyone quite like him before, so i'm sure it takes some practice to get it right...


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters in this story! I am just borrowing them for a while.**

Ch.7

Aunt Petunia stared at Harry for what seemed like hours with that same expression upon her face- one that might suggest that a rotting tomato had been shoved under her nose. Her dark eyes gleamed with a deep hatred that made Harry take a tentative step back.

"_Get out of my sight, this instant!"_ she ground out furiously. Her finger was pointed at the ceiling, and Harry immediately understood that she wanted him to return to his bedroom.

"You just wait until Vernon gets home and hears…." Harry bit his lip at the threat, but didn't rise to any bait; he'd learned his lesson a long time ago. Instead, he abruptly turned and trudged from the room, motioning Padfoot to follow behind silently. As he quietly mounted the stairs, he glanced out the window beside the front door, and snorted. The lawn had grown to be about a foot long in his absence.

The instant Harry and Sirius entered Harry's tiny, stifling bedroom, Sirius transformed with a small _pop_ and gently shut the door. There was an awkward silence that stretched on and on- Harry refused to look Sirius in the eyes, ashamed of the way his aunt had spoken to him. Instead, Harry stared at the floor to avoid eye contact. It was the only way he'd be able to keep his emotions in check.

He started when Sirius's arms suddenly wrapped around him in a fierce embrace. It took a moment for Harry to relax enough to notice that Sirius was shaking. With anger at his aunt or with pity and grief for his godson, Harry couldn't tell.

Several quiet seconds passed before Sirius broke the hug and forced Harry an arm's length away, as if to thoroughly examine him. Harry tried desperately to keep his head lowered, but Sirius tilted his chin up to meet his eyes.

"You know they have no right to talk to you that way, right?" He asked. His voice was low and desperate, as if something terrible would happen to Harry if he wasn't aware of this piece of information. Harry stayed quiet, the embarrassment of Sirius's words running through is body, heating his cheeks.

Sirius took his silence as a 'no'. He shook the long, black strands out of his eyes as he whispered, "Don't listen to them, Harry. I love you, and I don't want to see you hurt by their words."

Harry began to tremble. _No one had ever said that to him_. Never, for as long as he could remember. Sure, he supposed his parents must have told him that they loved him before they died, but he couldn't exactly remember that. For his entire life he'd dreamed of someone acting as a surrogate father, someone who really cared about him and his wellbeing…. Did this mean Sirius was willing to fill that empty space?

_No,_ Harry told himself firmly. _Why would anyone ever care that much about me, anyways? _According to his aunt and uncle, he was nothing more than a worthless freak who deserved to be punished for his mistakes.

"Harry? Please answer me," Sirius said. Harry started again slightly. He'd been spacing off, lost in the memories of his childhood, lost in the desperate wishes of the lonely boy he'd once been. That he still was.

"I- er…," Harry began. How could he say this without offending Sirius? "You don't need to do that." He wrung his hands wearily, and recoiled from his godfather's grip to sit down on his lumpy mattress. Sirius looked confused, his eyes bright with worry.

"I don't need to do what? Hug you?" He asked. He moved to sit down next to Harry, but stopped in his tracks when Harry turned away from him again. The boy's raven hair sticking up at odd angles in the back became even messier when Harry shook his head.

"You don't need to pity me."

There it was. That hard, emotionless voice coming from his godson again. Sirius _hated_ it when Harry talked like that. Especially when it was about something that wasn't true.

"No, Harry, I-"

"Don't try to deny it," Harry interrupted. Sirius stared at him. _What was he on about?_ "I've made it fine on my own up until now. I can handle everything they throw at me, it doesn't matter. I just don't want- I dunno, I don't want to be a burden to you just because you feel sorry for me. You don't have to stay here. I'll do fine on my own. I always do."

Harry was deeply surprised when tears filled Sirius's eyes and threatened to spill over the edges, and even more so when the man knelt down and seized his shoulders in a firm grip, so fiercely that it hurt. "Don't _ever_ think that I don't love you, Harry James Potter. Don't you ever think that again!" Sirius's hands were shaking with barely suppressed emotion as he tried to convey the message on to his godson. "I love you more than life itself. You should _never_ think of yourself as a burden. Ever! Do you understand?" He said the words slowly and clearly, squeezing Harry's shoulders tightly all the while. But Harry just big his lip nervously.

"Harry, I should have been there for you before. But I couldn't. I couldn't and it was all my fault that I couldn't, and I hated myself for it. But I'm here now, and I'm never going to leave you again. I promise you that." Sirius wiped his eyes before continuing in a whisper, "You're my godson. I'd do anything for you, Kiddo, anything in the world to keep you safe. And I intend on doing exactly that, even inside this house."

A hand must have been squeezing all the air out of Harry's windpipe as he struggled to breathe. The effect those words had on him was immense; was his dream finally coming true? The dream of having a father of his own?

The hope must have shown on his face, because Sirius chuckled. "C'mere, Kiddo," he said playfully, and grabbed his godson's head to ruffle his hair.

??

Harry opened his eyes to the bright sunlight once again, but this time it was streaming through the window of his bedroom at Privet Drive. Harry lay there listening to Padfoot's snores coming from the foot of his bed, where the large black dog was curled up in a tight ball, as he tried to remember the dream he'd had last night. It had been a good one…

The slight clanging he heard from downstairs was obviously Aunt Petunia starting the breakfast. The strong aromas of sizzling bacon wafted up through the floor, succeeding in heightening his awareness and waking him up. Harry gazed around at his surroundings, trying to figure out a way to climb quietly out of bed without waking the large black dog. As he glanced out the window again, he was stuck by a strange and sudden feeling of emptiness. Something was missing, but what?

Harry wracked his brain desperately- it was something important, he just knew it.

He rubbed his forehead and regarded the birds flying through the leafy branches of the tree outside his window. A bird-

HEDWIG!

Harry jumped out of bed, moving faster than he would have done if it'd been set on fire, tripping over his sheets in the process and landing hard on his left shoulder. All the commotion startled the black dog, which was on its feet in an instant and looking around the room for the source of the disturbance.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "Where's Hedwig?!" All sorts of scenarios were swirling around in his head; What if his relatives had done something terrible to her after Harry was kicked out of the house? Even her cage was gone!

Sirius quickly transformed after seeing the state his godson was in. "Who's Hedwig?" he asked, detangling himself from the blankets and rushing to help Harry do the same. "Are you sure you didn't just have a bad dream?"

"No, she's my owl-" Harry got to his feet and dashed to the window to look up into the tree, hoping to see a flash of white against the green leaves. But there was nothing…. "She was here when I left the house that- that night. In fact, all my stuff was here…." A cold feeling settled into his stomach as he thought of his wand, which had been lying innocently on his bedside table.

"Relax, Harry. I'm sure it's all around here somewhere, and I don't think your relatives would do anything bad to Hedwig." Sirius guided Harry away from the window and back to the bed, forcing him to sit as he regarded his godson. "If you'd like, I'll run over to Figg's house right now and see if Remus knows anything about it."

Harry quirked an eyebrow, confused. "What does Mrs. Figg have anything to do with this?"

Sirius bit his lip. "Er- I thought you knew where Remus was staying?"

"Well- yeah, I guess, but- He told me to owl him, wouldn't Mrs. Figg find that slightly suspicious? I mean, most muggles don't even see owls during the night," Harry said, as if this was an obvious fact that Sirius ought to know by now.

"Harry, Mrs. Figg is a squib," Sirius said, squeezing Harry on the shoulder gently. "She knows all about magic and owls, she won't be surprised."

"I- _what?_" Harry exclaimed. When was anybody planning on telling him about _this?_ Why was he always kept in the dark? All this time living on Privet Drive, and he'd had a connection to the magical world just a few houses down the bloody street?!

Sirius didn't know what to say, nor did he understand why Harry was so upset about it. Harry groaned. "Oh, never mind. Just go ahead and ask Lupin about Hedwig," he said. "Please," he added, as an afterthought.

Sirius smiled fondly. "I'll be back soon, Kiddo. Get something to eat while I'm gone, won't you?" he clapped Harry on the shoulder, and stood. "You seriously need to put some meat on those bones." Harry's scowl followed Sirius as he transformed and walked out of the room. With the slam of the front door, Harry was left alone once again.

With a sigh, Harry grabbed some cloths and headed for the shower. He was finished barely ten minutes later, and went downstairs to eat some breakfast as Sirius had suggested.

Aunt Petunia and Dudley were sitting at the small, round table in the center of the room, munching on bits of bacon, a large mound of pancakes, and steaming sausages. Uncle Vernon wasn't there; Harry assumed that he'd already left for work. Swallowing hard, Harry entered the kitchen as quietly as possible. He'd learned long ago that in the presence of the Dursleys, it was best to be inconspicuous.

His hopes were deflated, however, when Dudley let out a huge gasp at the sight of his cousin and began to choke on his bacon. Rasping coughs filled the room, his chubby face turning a bright purple from lack of oxygen.

"_Dudders!"_ Aunt Petunia screeched, and began thumping her son on the back as hard as she could. It had no effect whatsoever; in fact, it seemed to cause Dudley to lose even more breath and his rasps grew louder.

Harry, discarding his hopes of becoming invisible to his relations, rushed over to help. Pushing his aunt aside, Harry grabbed Dudley's bulk in both of his arms and pumped his cousin's stomach as hard as he could; as if by magic, the bacon flew out of his mouth and ricocheted off the refrigerator. Dudley collapsed in relief in Harry's arms; Harry promptly dropped his great lump of a cousin onto the carpet and returned to the counter to finish making his own breakfast.

Aunt Petunia was speechless for a few moments, staring at Harry as if she'd never seen anything quite like him before. Then she recollected herself long enough to realize that her son was lying on the ground. She knelt down and crooned to Dudley, "Oh Diddydums! I was so scared! Are you feeling alright now, Diddy? Are you able to finish your breakfast? Do you need to go back to bed?" She felt his forehead, as if checking for a fever.

Harry shook his head angrily. He'd just saved her son from suffocation, and he didn't even receive a 'thank you' in return. He finished buttering his toast and turned to head back upstairs, hoping that Sirius would return soon with news of Hedwig.

But instead of finding his godfather in the hallway, he came face to face with the swollen, purple face of his uncle, whose mustache was quivering with anger. Harry stopped dead, almost dropping his toast.

"_You!"_ Vernon seemed to be having trouble forming an entire sentence; he charged forwards and slapped the toast out of Harry's trembling hands, and pushed his nephew up against the wall. His fat hands were clenched around a handful of Harry's collar, preventing Harry from moving his face away from the putrid breath on his face.

"You ungrateful piece of filth!" he growled, shaking the boy slightly. Harry felt his glasses slip down the bridge of his nose. Had his uncle and cousin known that Harry returned? That would certainly explain Dudley's reaction to seeing him. "How dare you enter my household after what you did last week!" Harry remained silent, not wanting to instigate his uncle into hurting him further, but unsure of how to get out of his present situation unharmed. _Sirius,_ he thought desperately, _now would be a brilliant time to get home!_

When Harry didn't reply to his uncle's outburst, he was rewarded with a punch to the stomach. Harry groaned, wrapping his arms around his abdomen, and doubled over in pain. His uncle released his shirt collar and Harry thumped to the floor, hitting his head and seeing stars.

"I don't want to see you for the rest of the summer. Get out of my sight!" And with that, Vernon walked into the kitchen to eat his breakfast, slamming the kitchen door behind him.

The only thing that broke the silence was the blood pounding furiously in his ears as he tried to stand. But every time he got close to accomplishing the act, his head would spin, and he'd have to lie down again. Why did stuff like this always happen to _him?_ Was life ever going to give him a break? Harry angrily contemplated the misfortune he'd had for the past several years, mentally cursing his uncle and Voldemort for making his life hell.

Harry tried to clear his head again as he looked around for an object to hold on to. _Aha! The railing_! Now he just had to get close enough to grab onto it and pull himself up. Carefully, trying to ignore the agony that sparked in his stomach at the slightest bit of movement, Harry managed to drag himself over to the bottom step of the staircase, and grasped onto the wooden railing like it was a lifeline. His stomach muscles screamed in protest as he forced his body into a standing position. He was sure the cramps would set in soon. He glanced upwards, and sighed. _One down, fourteen more to go,_ he thought wearily.

The trip was slow and tedious; his limbs were sore from lack of recuperation from his previous adventure two nights ago, and his head was still swimming, making it feel like he was about to topple backwards at any moment. Finally, after what must have been hours of climbing, Harry reached the top and smiled to himself. _That wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be,_ he thought. He staggered over the threshold of his bedroom and made it over to the mirror hanging in his wardrobe, pulled up his shirt and grimaced.

The bruises were just starting to form, but they looked nasty. Large puffs of black, blue, and purple melded together into the shape of a fist. Yup, if Sirius saw this he'd know exactly what had happened, and he certainly wouldn't be happy about it.

Harry turned and collapsed onto his rickety bed, despair rising inside of him fast enough to choke up his throat. No matter how hard he tried, he'd always be a burden to Sirius. He couldn't even defend himself against his stupid uncle. Harry stared at a small crack in the ceiling, tracing it with his watering eyes as his vision blurred. Frankly, he was sick of it. _All_ of it. The disgust that was always displayed in their eyes every time they looked at him. The slaps and the shoves. The chores. The hate. Was it ever going to stop? Harry snorted. The more appropriate question would be 'was he ever going to have a normal life?' He could easily answer that himself.

Probably not.

And although he wasn't aware of it yet, his life was about to get even weirder.

a/n: I really do apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but even more for the content. For some reason, I had the absolute hardest time writing it because there wasn't any action. But I know my game will step up as soon as the excitement comes back; it always does. :)

So if you are enjoying this story and have been disappointed with me lately, just hang in there! It'll get better, I promise!


	8. Chapter 8

Yay! Ch. 8 is finally here! I'm really pleased with the progress I've made; I was determined to finish this before I left for Costa Rica, and I did. I should set time goals for myself more often. :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! All the credit for creating this magical and amazing world goes to J.K. Rowling.**

Ch. 8

The clock next to his bed burned bright red through the increasing darkness inside Harry's bedroom, shining through his closed eyelids. Sirius still wasn't home, and it was already 9 o'clock p.m. Needless to say, Harry was really beginning to worry. Had something happened to Sirius? Was he in danger? Or did his godfather's absence have something to do with his godson- had Sirius finally realized how horrible it would be to live with Harry, and decided to abandon him?

He hadn't eaten any lunch or dinner, so his stomach was aching from hunger. However, too many summers had passed without him having much food available, so Harry was sure he'd get used to it soon.

He groaned softly into his flattened pillow, desperately trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his abdomen. They were not just from hunger, but from the multiple newly developed bruises inflicted by Uncle Vernon. They had swelled up to nasty purple blotches in the hours that Sirius remained missing.

Harry's arm tingled from the lack of blood flow, so he carefully rolled over to face the window. A full moon shone brightly over the rooftops of Privet Drive, casting the street in a soft silvery veil of light. Harry scanned the scene carefully, but there was no sign of a big, black dog anywhere.

_I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up_, Harry thought sadly. _Of course he wouldn't want me. Who would? All I do is cause trouble._

Harry was so lost in his depressing thoughts that he almost missed the gentle creak of a floorboard right outside his bedroom. He lay completely still, his heart leaping in his chest, praying that it wasn't his uncle. _Please let it be Sirius. _

But his bedroom door never opened; it must have been Dudley coming up to his own room to get ready for bed. Sure enough, the room next door was suddenly filled with scrapes and bumps of someone opening a closet and thumping down onto their mattress. Harry sighed in relief, and glanced out the window again for a sign of Sirius.

But there was still nothing but impending darkness and the light of the full moon.

_I should go to sleep,_ Harry told himself. Pulling an all- nighter wasn't going to bring Sirius back, and it certainly wasn't going to help him deal with the pain in his stomach. He forced his eyelids closed, and breathed deeply and steadily, drifting off… away, into the darkness… away….

THUD.

Harry started, eyes snapping open and moving wildly around his room for the source of the disturbance. But it was only Dudley next door, banging around as usual, completely inconsiderate to his sleepy neighbor. Harry groaned again, nestled deeper into his thin sheet, and dozed off.

??

It was four o'clock in the morning when Sirius gently closed the front door to Mrs. Figg's house, so as to not awaken its inhabitants. After transforming into the big black dog, the animagus trotted a few houses down the street and into the front yard of number 4 Privet Drive. His steps were quick and jolly; he'd had the time of his life last night, frolicking through the trees behind Lupin's cottage in Winchester with a werewolf. For most people, the prospect certainly wouldn't be classified as jolly, but then again, Sirius wasn't your typical adult.

When he was sure that Remus was settled and asleep, he'd dashed from the house as fast as he could without waking anyone. He'd left Harry without telling him where he was going, so Sirius was positive that Harry would be upset with him when he got back. Was Harry the forgiving type? Sirius hadn't the slightest idea- he'd known the kid for barely a week, not even. But he did know that Harry trusted him. That had to count for something, didn't it?

Ever since he escaped from Azkaban, Sirius found himself longing to be outdoors constantly. And since it was too dangerous for Harry to venture outside for a stroll around the block every once in a while, Sirius could barely suppress the urge to smuggle the kid out under his invisibility cloak. He knew that Harry wouldn't mind; he was a strong, brave kid. He'd proved that already, in the short amount of time Sirius had known him. But he had to remind himself to be the mature one. _You're the adult now, Sirius,_ he told himself._ For once in your life, act like one! Harry needs you._

But this was one of those times when Sirius couldn't deny himself the opportunity to get out and take dangerous risks. There was always a thrill about doing something rash when you didn't have to worry about anyone other than yourself.

A sharp screech broke Sirius's chain of thought, and he glanced up at the tree outside Harry's window at Hedwig, who was impatiently waiting for Sirius to allow her entry. She was flapping her great, white wings and hopping up and down with excitement.

_Bloody hell, don't wake the poor kid up,_ thought Sirius, as he crept around to the back of the house so he could transform. He pulled Harry's wand out of his pocket to unlock the door. Before he cast a spell, however, he paused. Would the ministry find out if he used magic, or would they assume it was Harry? He decided to alert Remus to his use of magic once he woke up, so he could take the blame if a letter arrived.

Sirius muttered a quick _Alohomora_ and walked carefully over the threshold. Once he was inside, he fished Harry's shrunken belongings out of his robes and returned them to their original size, before silently levitating them up the stairs and into his godson's bedroom, making sure to be as stealthfull and quiet as humanely possible.

Sirius hadn't noticed just how large the moon was when he and Remus were frolicking in the woods. He was so immersed in staring at its silvery beauty that he failed to notice the pair of shoes Harry kicked off onto the floor before he climbed into bed that night. Therefore, when Sirius was about three steps into the room and wasn't looking where he was going, he tripped spectacularly over the dirty trainers and took a nose dive straight into the floor.

The resounding crash caused by Sirius's body and Harry's trunk hitting the wooden floor in unison was loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood.

"GAAAHHHHHHH!" Harry jumped so badly that he bounced off his mattress and landed in a tangled heap of blankets under his bed. A door from down the hall crashed open, and the light in the hallway clicked on as Vernon Dursley strode steadily towards Harry's bedroom with a large metal bat held in his beefy hands. Sirius immediately transformed before the man could get a good look at him.

"BOY!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, and slapped the wall in Harry's room for the light switch. "WHAT THE DEVIL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Fire danced in his eyes; he was going to hurt that brat for waking his family at this time of the night! Vernon had the bat raised over his head in both hands and was stalking over to a bewildered Harry before he noticed the impending black dog, with hackles raised, and a menacing growl emerging from its throat.

With his eyes popping in sudden fear, Vernon scampered from the room as the dog leapt forwards, seized the pant leg of the man's pajama trousers, and ripped the entire right leg off.

"GET OFF, you rabid animal!" Vernon roared, swinging the bat and freeing is leg in the process. He grabbed Petunia and Dudley and threw them into the master bedroom before the dog could inflict any more damage. Silence fell once again after the door slammed shut, and a lock was clicked into place.

Sirius transformed again and closed Harry's door with a snap. Harry watched his movements without attempting to get up from the floor. Confusion and relief were rising quickly inside him.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Sirius asked gently. He offered his godson a hand. "Sorry I scared you like that, but you really shouldn't leave your shoes lying around. They're like a weapon to accident prone people, such as myself." Sirius's grin slowly faded when Harry stared blankly back at him.

The silence stretched on, and Sirius's hand drooped when Harry didn't take it. Sirius was beginning to become unnerved. "What's wrong?" he asked with pretend bravado. "Did I cut my chin open or something?" He felt around his face, but there was no blood.

Harry spoke in a whisper, "I didn't think you were coming back."

Sirius's mouth dropped open in comprehension. "Oh, Harry-"

"You said you'd never leave me." Damn. He'd been hoping that this wouldn't happen.

Sirius cleared his throat uneasily, trying to push his guilt aside at the angry and abandoned look on Harry's face. "I told you I'd always be there for you, kiddo- I was gone a few hours-"

"You weren't there for me this morning." His voice was stone cold. Sirius's heart clenched at the sound of it. And- what had happened this morning? Or yesterday morning, if you were a picky person…. He'd deal with that in a moment.

"Harry, listen… I had to be somewhere. There was something I had to do for Remus. Something really important, to both of us." Harry merely raised an eyebrow at Sirius's attempts to be secretive. His look clearly said, 'you'd better explain more than that, or I'll never forgive you.' Sirius heaved a deep sigh. _Stubborn kids these days._

He decided to elaborate. "Don't tell anyone this, but Remus has a serious medical condition that we had to take care of tonight. He's had to suffer through this every month all by himself for the past twelve years that I've been in Azkaban. I couldn't let him be alone this time."

There was another bout of silence as Harry's head dropped in shame and understanding. _Of course,_ he thought miserably,_ I've been acting like such an idiot._

"I'm really sorry, Sirius, I-I didn't know-"

"Don't be, Harry. You said it yourself; you didn't know. I don't blame you for being angry, I would be too if someone who was supposed to be back after breakfast didn't actually return until the next day." Sirius knelt down and began to help pull the pile of blankets off of Harry. He mussed up the boy's hair affectionately, and grinned when Harry scowled and ducked away from his hand. The sharp movement caused his stomach and bruises to twinge painfully, and he winced.

The wince wasn't lost on Sirius. "What is it?" he demanded, gripping his godson's shoulder. Concern shone deeply through his eyes. Was this linked to the events of 'this morning'?

"Er, nothing. I just haven't eaten in a little while, that's all," Harry mumbled, using the wall as a support to stand up. Honestly, his stomach did feel like it was eating itself because of the lack of food. Sirius still wouldn't let go of his shoulder.

"How long is 'a little while', Harry?" Harry chanced a look at his godfather's face, and was surprised to see barely suppressed anger. He probably assumed that Petunia hadn't fed him anything for dinner. Which was the case, actually.

"Erm… I think since after you left, at breakfast." Harry cringed, inching along the wall to stay away from Sirius in case he decided to take his anger out on him. Sirius, however, was handling himself alright at the moment, and didn't feel the need to throw something just yet.

"And what exactly did you eat at breakfast?" Sirius inquired, noting the panicky look on the boy's face. "Harry?" he asked again, when he remained silent.

Harry steeled himself for the inevitable. Sirius would be furious if he found out about the bruises, but there was no way to avoid mentioning why he didn't eat any breakfast. What could he possibly say, that he just wasn't hungry? _Sure_, he thought sarcastically, _Sirius wouldn't see through _that_ lie_.

Harry gulped. "I ate two bites of toast." There it was, plain and simple. Hopefully his godfather's reaction would be plain and simple, too.

Sirius's eyes flashed, as if he already knew the answer to his own question. "And why, exactly, did you only have two bites of toast when I specifically told you to eat a good breakfast?" _Dursley, you bastard!_ Sirius cursed in his head.

Harry stayed motionless and silent. His breathing had hitched up a notch, so that his chest was heaving. Blood pounded through his veins and in his ears. He almost didn't catch Sirius's next words.

"Harry, show me. Lift up your shirt." It was like they were being spoken through a long tunnel, somewhere far, far away.

Arms wrapped around his torso in a tight embrace, rocking him back and forth, hands smoothing his wild hair away from his face. Sirius was whispering broken words to him, but he couldn't hear a thing. A ringing had filled his eardrums, pounding over and over. He was sitting down, but he couldn't remember how he got there. Sirius pressed his hands onto the sides of his bare chest, and the pain brought him back to the situation at hand.

"Aahhhh…," he hissed, as tiny needles shot up his abdomen. "Sirius, stop- that hurts-"

"I need to see if any ribs are broken," Sirius told him quietly. "Just sit tight, Kiddo."

Harry did as he was told, as Sirius poked and prodded his chest for broken ribs. It hurt like hell, but Harry didn't utter another sound. He'd had a small panic attack, he knew it. His cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame. What would Sirius think of him now? Now, after he knew that he _still_ couldn't stand up to his muggle uncle?

Sirius dabbed some ointment Remus had gotten from Madame Pomfrey onto the massive bruises to help them heal faster and take the pain away. "I don't think anything's broken, but your ribs might be bruised," Sirius explained after he pulled Harry's shirt back down. He sat down next to his godson on the lumpy mattress. Fire coursed through his veins as he thought of Vernon Dursley. If he wasn't careful, he'd commit murder inside this house tonight. _No,_ the logical side of his brain told him sternly,_ Harry needs you right now. You can deal with Dursley after Harry is okay._ Following his own advice, Sirius turned to Harry once again. "Do you feel better now?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it doesn't really hurt anymore," he muttered, still ashamed.

"Why didn't you want to tell me about this right away, Harry? I'm supposed to help you with this kind of stuff." Sirius's voice was slightly hurt.

Harry just shrugged his shoulders. He hated talking about his feelings. His thoughts must have shown on his face, because Sirius whispered, "Let's get you something to eat then, alright?" He clapped Harry on the shoulder, and steered the boy from the room and down the stairs. Both of them made sure to jump the bottom step, so it wouldn't creak and bring out the Dursleys.

The kitchen was illuminated by the soft glow of the moon, so they didn't have to turn on any lights to see what they were doing. Sirius got Harry an apple from the fruit basket and opened the refrigerator. "What else do you want?" he asked, pushing the items around to see what else was in there. "They've got some pasta, ham and cheese sandwiches, chicken casserole, a leftover salad, actually I could make you a fresh salad…." Sirius rallied off his ideas for a meal as Harry took bites from his apple. He snorted, highly doubting that Sirius could even concoct something as simple as a green salad without blowing up the house.

"What's so funny?" demanded Sirius, stopping his list of items residing in the refrigerator to glance over his shoulder. Harry sniggered again.

"Do you even know how to cook?" he asked, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. He was unsuccessful.

Sirius made a face, and replied, "Maybe. Would you care to find out?" He reached for an empty bowl sitting on the counter and a pair of tongs.

"What are the tongs for?" Harry asked, amused. Harry had been cooking ever since he was old enough to reach the stove, and it was obvious to him that this man had no idea what he was doing.

"You shall see. Patience is required in the art of cooking, in case you didn't know," Sirius said, and grabbed a bag of lettuce from a drawer in the fridge. He set about rinsing the leaves in the sink, and when he was done with that, flapped them through the air to dry them. Harry snorted with laughter as water droplets sprinkled over his face.

"You know, Sirius, there's a simpler way of drying lettuce than that," Harry tried to explain, as he watched several leaves fly through the air and stick to the kitchen window. Sirius pasted a hurt look on his face, threw the lettuce at Harry, and said, "Well why don't you make the salad, you git, if you're so smart."

They had a fun time working on the salad together. By six o'clock in the morning, dawn was breaking and Harry and Sirius were enjoying a tasty caesar salad together at the kitchen table, while watching the blue- grey light of dawn turn golden. It was probably going to be another hot day, but the sky was dotted with bluish clouds. As he gazed out the window, lost in thought, another issue drifted into Harry's head.

"Sirius," he started, in a soft, worried voice, "Where's Hedwig?"

Sirius's eyes widened and he stood up quickly, knocking into the table with his knees. Cursing, he strode to the window and peered out into the soft light. "I'm sorry, Harry! I almost forgot- I sent her up into the tree outside your bedroom so I could let her inside up there. She must still be there." As he scanned the horizon for the white form of Hedwig, something else caught his eye. It was a dark figure, crouched behind the fence of 4 Privet Drive, wearing a long black cloak and a mask. _Death Eaters_.

No, no, no. Bloody hell, no. Not here, right outside the house his godson lived in. His voice trembling slightly, he said, "Harry, get away from the window." Harry looked at him, confused. "What?" he asked.

Sirius just shook his head, and repeated, "Away from the window, Harry. Get down." He, himself, removed his body from the death eater's viewpoint and stood, hidden, beside the wall.

How was this possible? The death eaters weren't supposed to be able to get this close! The wards ended just past Magnolia Crescent, according to Remus; that was why Lucius Malfoy had had to wait there until Harry came to him, not the other way around! Had the wards been broken? Breathing quickly, Sirius turned to Harry and whispered, "Harry, where's your wand?"

His godson's eyes widened in comprehension as he glanced out the window again. "It's in my trunk. Did you bring my trunk back?" he asked, panicking. When Sirius nodded, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll go get it," he said, and made to stand up, but Sirius stopped him.

"I'm coming with you. There's a death eater right outside, and there might be more surrounding the house. I don't know if they can actually get inside, but it's better if we're prepared." With that, they crouched down and tiptoed into the hallway and up the stairs, avoiding any windows in the process. When they reached Harry's bedroom, Harry crossed to his fallen trunk and rummaged through it to find his wand. Sirius stood over his shoulder and said, "Wait. Get your invisibility cloak, too. It might come in handy." They stared at each other for a moment, and Harry did as he was told.

"Do you want my wand, or should I keep it?" Harry asked nervously. "I think you're better at fighting than I am, you know… in case they actually get in the house." The two of them looked at the holly and phoenix feather wand in Harry's hand, then back up at each other.

Sirius appeared to be in a dilemma. Yes, he did know more spells than Harry and he was determined to protect his godson, but he really didn't want to leave the boy unarmed. "You haven't got a long stick or a bat, by any chance?" said Sirius, scanning the room for either item. "Besides the one your uncle has, I mean." Harry looked around, too, but couldn't see anything.

"There might be something we could use in Dudley's room…," he trailed off, looking thoughtful. "C'mon." Together, they quietly tramped down the hall and into his cousin's room, where broken toys lined the walls and were crammed up into the corners. Sure enough, a stocky aluminum bat leaned against the television set. Harry brought it back to the doorway, and offered a hand for his invisibility cloak. "I think you should keep my wand," he muttered, trying to sound nonchalant.

Sirius forced a smile as he handed over the cloak. After Harry draped it over his shoulders, they returned to the top of the stairs to keep a lookout.

"Do you happen to have another way of contacting Dumbledore besides owl post?" Sirius whispered, and was put out when Harry shook his head.

"What about Remus?" inquired Harry. "Could we somehow contact him and tell him about the death eaters?" Sirius's face suddenly lit up with renewed hope. Remus should have transformed back into human form by now.

"I'll be right back," he said, and scrambled into Harry's bedroom to retrieve a square mirror sitting on the desk. He returned, sat on the top step of the staircase, and lowered the mirror so that Harry could see into it, too. "Remus Lupin," he spoke, quite clearly. Harry stared expectantly into the mirror, but nothing happened. Sirius seemed perturbed. "Remus Lupin," he repeated, a little louder than before. Still, the mirror only reflected the anxious face of Sirius. _Where was Remus?_

Down below the staircase, the front door of number 4, Privet Drive creaked open, and a hooded figure crept over the threshold, wand held aloft.

**A/N:** I'll be gone for a week in South America, and can't bring my laptop with me (oh no!) so that means i can't begin writing the 9th chapter for two weeks (unless i start it tomorrow and finish it by Friday, which is very unlikely, but _possible_). Sorry for the delay, but i promise the next one will have some action!! yay, my favorite. Hope you enjoyed reading. Please leave a review to let me know how i can improve, what you liked, etc.

:)))))))


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: It's finally here!!!! Yay! Are you excited or what? I certainly am. A great thank you is in order for my dad's friend at work who fixed my laptop. And thank you guys for being so patient and supportive!**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, other than the new plot.

Ch. 9

Sirius hid in the shadows of the hallway as Harry peered, invisible, over the banister at the hooded man creeping through his aunt and uncle's house. There weren't any lights on, so it was hard to distinguish the figure's shadow from other appliances in the room. The man stopped beside the coat rack by the cupboard under the stairs and stripped off his cloak, revealing the very familiar face of-

"Remus!" Harry cried, and ignoring Sirius's protests, dashed down into the hallway to greet him. Remus turned toward Harry with an amused smile.

"Did I scare you?" he asked, glancing up at Sirius, who was trudging down the stairs. Although he looked relieved at seeing his friend, there were still faint lines of worry on his face. He drew Harry's wand and pointed it at Lupin's chest.

Harry was shocked, and suddenly felt very stupid for running to the man without making sure that it really _was_ Lupin. That had been one of the major rules to follow; never greet someone until you were sure that the person wasn't being impersonated by a dark wizard. Dumbledore had specifically told him that. He backed away to his godfather's side and looked on as Sirius lit the wand and peered into Lupin's face.

The man was obviously exhausted; his eyes held large rings underneath that were so dark they could have been mistaken for bruises. The eyes themselves were weary, and his graying hair disheveled. If Harry looked close enough he could read a little pain in the man's features.

Sirius spoke in a menacing whisper, "Where were you on the night of November 20, during our fifth year at Hogwarts?"

Lupin sighed, rubbed his temples, and replied, "I was with you and James when you accomplished the animagus transformation for the first time in a deserted bathroom on the second floor. A girl's bathroom, if I remember correctly. Do you always have to be so dramatic, Sirius?" Sirius's wand dropped, and he reached out and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"'Course I do," he said, grinning widely. "I mean, after that little stunt _you_ pulled behind the garden fence, I thought it was only appropriate that I repay you." Lupin frowned, and glanced at Harry before asking, "What exactly did I do behind the garden fence?"

Harry bit his lip. "Er, you mean that wasn't you?" A prickling feeling began to creep up the center of his back and up his neck.

"What wasn't me?" Remus asked, alarm spreading across his features rapidly. "What did you see?" Sirius watched the exchange silently, then marched back to the window and peered out into the early morning light.

"You didn't happen to see a cloaked figure wearing a mask anywhere near the garden, did you, Moony?" Sirius asked, turning back to watch Remus's facial expression grow cold with dread.

"No," he growled, sounding very much like a wolf, and stalked over to join Sirius at the window. They began muttering together, their voices far too jumbled for Harry to make out. He sighed and tried to relax his body a little. He knew it was much safer now that Remus was here in addition to Sirius; it also meant that they had two wands instead of one.

He dropped himself onto the bottom stair and leaned against the wall, watching Sirius and Remus argue about something. The injustice of the situation welled up inside him once again, just as it had the previous night. Why wouldn't the death eaters just leave him alone? What was so important about a thirteen year old boy with no extraordinary magical powers, average grades, and a family who hated his guts?

The sun had risen fully now, and cast a beam of light into the hallway that landed at Harry's feet. It would be too light now for any death eater to attack the house, wouldn't it? The veil of darkness had always been their ally in creating destruction and mayhem.

There was a faint shuffling from upstairs, and Harry craned his neck around to see Uncle Vernon peering down the stairwell at the three wizards. When his eyes met Harry's he gave a loud squeak of terror and bolted back to the bedroom. With an exasperated sigh, Harry turned his attention back onto Sirius and Remus's muttered discussion.

"-floo powder, would you?" Sirius was asking, glancing back at the living room which held the electric fireplace. Lupin shook his head, and replied, "We could use the invisibility cloak…."

"How d'you mean?" Sirius inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"There's floo powder at Mrs. Figg's. I'll just run over there, grab some, and call Dumbledore."

"No way! I'm not letting you go by yourself with Death Eaters out there!"

"Calm down, Sirius. It's light now, they'd be mental to show themselves at this time of day. Besides, it's not like Harry's going to come with me." At this, they both looked over at Harry, whose face blanched at Lupin's words.

Lupin realized his mistake a moment too late. "No! Harry, that's not what I meant-"

But Harry interrupted him, shaking his head angrily, "You guys shouldn't even be here. Why don't you both go back to Mrs. Figg's house and stay there, where it's safe." When Lupin walked over and tried to grab his shoulder he shied away, and stood up. "I'm not worth the risk, so why are you visiting? Here-" He fumbled with the invisibility cloak and tossed it into Lupin's stunned hands. "Take it and leave. Sirius will go with you, it's not safe for you to go by yourself." He turned and left the hallway.

Harry could hear hurried footsteps following him as he made a beeline for the little bathroom off the kitchen. Sirius's hands grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, and he struggled.

"Harry- Harry, stop-" His godson had pried one of his hands away from his jacket, but the other was still clenched painfully tight. "Moony didn't mean it that way-"

Red hot fury, unexpected and foreign, reared up inside of his chest like a snake ready to strike. Harry snarled menacingly at his godfather, which shocked Sirius into dropping his hands long enough for Harry to bolt into the bathroom and lock the door behind him.

His peace didn't last for long; Sirius's hands were soon pounding on the door, his voice coming through the wood shouting for him to open up or else he would do it with magic.

The anger roared through his veins like poison, driving him over the edge. He wanted to scream as loud as he could, not caring whether or not he'd rip his throat apart. _He'd had enough of this!_ He scanned the cramped room for an escape route, his hands trembling in his boiling fury, moving on their own accord. It was as if everything that had happened to him that summer had combusted into one great, flaming fireball that was about to explode if he didn't get out. Images of his uncle standing over him, Death Eaters stalking him through the neighborhood, and Sirius lying, bloody and shaking, on the floor of Voldemort's fortress flashed through his head with frightening speed. _Out, out, get him out!_ Before he even knew what he was doing, his fingers were fumbling with the screen of the window he couldn't remember opening, clawing at the clasps desperately before Sirius could enter and put a stop to his antics.

Just as the screen came tumbling down, the bathroom door flung open with a crash and Sirius stood, taking in the scene before him. A frightened expression quickly replaced the exasperated one that was upon his face. In a single movement, he had grabbed Harry's wrists in one hand, flicked his wand to replace the screen, and dragged him back into the kitchen, where Lupin was sitting at the table with his face in his hands.

There was a tense silence for a few moments, and Harry's anger seemed to deflate out of him like a popped balloon. Suddenly he was exhausted, and his knees gave out as Sirius guided him to a chair across from Remus.

It was another few moments before Remus could lift his head. When he finally did Harry avoided making eye contact, instead began tracing his fingers over the swirling wood of the table awkwardly. Something in his body felt empty to him… almost like something had disappeared….

"I'm so sorry," Remus began, his gentle voice cracking slightly with strain. "Harry, you took it the wrong way. I only meant-"

"- That I'm a danger to everyone who walks down the street with me?" Harry finished quietly, a spark of anger returning. Within a split second, another foreign red hot jolt of fury roared through his veins, causing his hands to spasm and his scar to flicker. Just as quickly the feeling was gone.

There was another long silence. Apparently neither Sirius nor Remus had noticed anything strange happen to their charge. _What's going on with me?_ Harry wondered desperately.

Remus stared at Harry in pity, and it was Harry's turn to bury his face in his hands. As the anger left again, it was replaced by a feeling of shame and stupidity. "Bugger. I'm the one who should be sorry," he murmured, shaking his head. "I was just so _angry_, it's not fair to you that by associating with me, Voldemort's going to be targeting you next." He ran frustrated hands through his hair, and Sirius thought with amusement, _that's exactly the same thing James used to do when he was under pressure._

"Well, Harry," Sirius began cautiously, "not much can be done about that, I'm afraid. But that doesn't mean we don't want to be with you. You're still my best godson."

Harry raised his eyebrow. "I'm your only godson!" Sirius sniggered a bit, and when it died down he replaced the amusement with seriousness again. "Why did you open that window, Harry?"

Harry bit his lip when Remus's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "I- I dunno," he stammered nervously. "I mean, I felt weird- almost like I was being controlled by something stronger than me-"

"Sometimes anger can do that to a person," Remus interjected mildly. "Just try not to let it happen again. We don't want you to get hurt, so be careful." Harry nodded, his cheeks pink.

??

The incident in the bathroom was the last Harry felt of the undesirable anger for the remainder of the summer. Remus had returned to Mrs. Figg's under Harry's invisibility cloak to contact Dumbledore, and the Headmaster strengthened the wards on the Dursley's house the following day. Things had then gone as smoothly as expected, once the Dursley's discovered that their house had been "tampered with." It was on the night of August 31st that Remus flooed over to the Dursley's residence (the fireplace had been connected to the floo network for approximately ten minutes while Remus traveled), after requesting that Professor Dumbledore accompany him in a visit to Harry. All Remus had revealed to Dumbledore was that they "had something of extreme importance to tell him."

When Dumbledore arrived at the entrance to the fireplace, he was greeted by the scene of Harry, Remus, and the dog Snuffles all seated in different armchairs. Dumbledore glanced at Snuffles, his blue eyes twinkling merrily, before saying, "Good evening, gentlemen. Would anyone care for a lemon drop?" They all shook their heads, the dog included. If possible, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even brighter than before as he strode further into the room, navy blue robes billowing out behind him.

After Dumbledore had found a seat in an armchair considerably like the ones occupying the other beings in the room, he rested his elbows upon the armrests and his chin upon his fingertips, almost like he was praying. He looked expectantly at Remus, who was nervously perched on the very edge of his own chair.

Remus cleared his throat and started, "Well, erm, Professor Dumbledore, we- that is, Harry and I- felt the need to tell you some information that we have gathered over the past few weeks." Here he stopped, as if unsure of how to continue, so Harry butted in.

"I know about Sirius Black," he said, getting straight to the point. "And I also know that he's-"

"- That he is innocent?" Dumbledore questioned, peering into Harry's eyes curiously. There was a knowing smile etched upon his wrinkled face.

Harry was shocked. "How- how did you know that? Sir?"

"Ah, Harry. I have known almost as long as you have, my dear boy. In fact, I knew who Sirius was the first time I laid eyes on him since his escape from Azkaban. Although I still questioned his innocence at that time, I must admit. Now, however, it is clear to me that he is indeed innocent, for he has not laid a hand on you since he began his stay here in the Dursley residence." The speechless silence continued on for a whole minute. Needless to say, Harry, Remus, and Sirius were dumbstruck.

"You left him alone with me before you knew _for sure_ that he was innocent?" Harry asked, bewildered. Dumbledore smiled.

"Harry, my dear boy, I felt confident that Sirius had been the one to help you escape from Lord Voldemort earlier this summer. You wouldn't have been able to escape on your own, not with those particular injuries." It was a few moments before Dumbledore added, "But I still wonder how he managed to attract the entire blame from the ministry concerning the incident with Peter Pettigrew. Would you care to inform us, Sirius?" Dumbledore tilted his head toward Padfoot, smiling serenely. There was a pause, and then Sirius transformed with a small _pop_.

"I daresay, it is good to see you again," Dumbledore stated, nodding his head at Sirius. Sirius smiled sheepishly before launching into his story of angst and betrayal. When he was finished, the smile was gone from Dumbledore's lips and his blue eyes lost their twinkle.

"I want to assure you, Sirius, that I will do my best to find Peter Pettigrew and clear your name. But in the meantime, I ask all three of you to keep your eyes peeled. Particularly you, Harry. One may never know when they are being watched." Harry suppressed a shiver.

Dumbledore continued to survey the group, deep in thought. "It might be wise to have you close by, in case we make any progress," he addressed Sirius. "I don't think Remus would have any objections?" He turned to Lupin.

Remus grinned, "Of course not. I would be delighted."

Harry watched the exchange curiously, unable to follow the conversation. Sirius noticed, winked at him, and said, "We'll keep it a surprise. You'll have to wait for the Hogwarts feast tomorrow to find out." Harry scowled, but accepted his comment without protest.

Dumbledore rose from his armchair and nodded to the two men and Harry. "This has been absolutely delightful," he said, "However, I must now return to Hogwarts. There is much to do before the students arrive tomorrow." With a parting smile, the headmaster sprinkled some floo powder into the flames and was swept away.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me what you were talking about?" Harry asked glumly.

"Nope," Sirius and Remus replied together.


	10. Updates!

Hey guys!! I _finally _have some good news for everyone concerning Circle of Trust…. I'm almost done with the rewrite of the first 9 chapters! Yay!

This isn't an update on those chapters yet, but here's the reason I am writing this message: Do you think I should post the new and improved chapters as a completely different story, or should I just replace the documents on this one? If I created an entirely "new story" with the rewrites, then you could compare the before and after, and see how much has changed.

Most of the plot is still the same, and just the grammar and length of the story is different. But altogether, it sounds _wayyyy_ better than it did before. I think. Haha. And now it actually makes sense, somewhat!

But back to what I was saying before…. It's completely up to you guys. Drop me a review or send me a message, and majority rules I guess. If I put together a "new story", then the original will be abandoned but I won't delete it.

Please let me know what you think I should do. The first chapter is completely ready to be posted, and I think you'll be pleased with the improvement. Remember, the plot isn't vastly different, I just made it sound a lot better. So don't be disappointed.

Thanks for everybody's support! Remember to review/ message me!

-Rainyrose


	11. Updates Number Two!

Update Number Two!

You will be happy to hear that chapter 1 of the new and improved story Circle of Trust is posted!!! The title of the story is Circle of Trust Rewritten. Haha, if anyone has some better ideas for a title or summary, please share! :)

Anyways, remember to review and let me know what you think of it. The first chapter isn't much different than the old one, but I fixed the grammar a bit and added in a few more details. Chapter two gets a bit more interesting, and then in chapter three I changed it around A LOT. From then on, much of the plot you've never read before.

I hope you like it! Happy reading!

-Rainyrose :)


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